By Lawrence B. Werlin, M.D.
Coastal Fertility Medical Center
Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) is a genetic-testing tool that allows
for the detection of abnormalities in 3-day-old embryos via DNA probes. Such
abnormalities are a principal cause of unsuccessful In Vitro Fertilization (IVF)
attempts. The procedure is so new that fewer than 300 babies have been born
through PGD in the United States to date.
PGD enables Reproductive Endocrinologists to assess the chromosomal makeup of
an embryo before implantation in the womb. The procedure is targeted to older
women, women who have had two or more unsuccessful IVF attempts, women with
recurrent pregnancy loss, and couples where the husband has severe male factor
fertility issues.
Studies indicate that 50 percent of the embryos of women suffering from recurrent
pregnancy loss have genetic abnormalities. Coastal Fertility Medical Center
will use PGD specifically as a genetic-testing tool for revealing these abnormalities
related to unsuccessful outcome.
PGD also offers widespread potential for detecting genetic defects and identifying
such fatal diseases as Sickle Cell Anemia, or Hemophilia. For parents with genetic
predisposition to chromosonal disease, it offers a greater likelihood for the
possibility of delivering healthy babies. Up to this point, Chorionic Villus
Sampling and Amniocentesis have been used to document chromosomal abnormalities,
but those events occur after the pregnancy has been achieved.
Down the road, PGD has the far-reaching capability of becoming a critical link
between fertility and other areas of genetic research. Research has already
begun using embryonic cells to replace damaged adult cells found in individuals
with previously irreversible medical conditions such as Parkinson's disease.
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About the author: Dr. Lawrence B. Werlin is Medical Director of Coastal Fertility
Medical Center, located at 4900 Barranca Pkwy, Suite 103, Irvine Ca 92604. You
may phone him at (949) 726-0600, or visit their website at www.coastalfertility.com
