Pre-Implantation Genetic Diagnosis

into an early stage embryo while still in a test tube. Scientists place the early stage embryo into

The majority of the process of keeping an embryo alive for an extended period of time is the same as in-vitro fertilization. “One day after retrieval (Day 1), the embryologist begins their day with the assessment of fertilization and by separating out the normally fertilized eggs. Cell division or cleavage will occur after the intermingling of the chromosomes overnight. By Day 2, normally dividing embryos should have four cells. Embryos will be further assessed on Days 2 and 3 for transfer or placement into more advanced blastocyst growth media until day 5 or 6”(AZFertility). However, in order to continue the growth, once the embryos are placed into the culture, they are placed into incubator. The majority of the difficulty is keeping the embryo alive within the

Prenatal testing can help woman identify any unknown health problems that can endanger their unborn child that may or may not be treatable. There are four main processes, non-invasive and invasive, that will be evaluated being ultrasound, amniocentesis, Chorionic Villus Sample and cordocentesis. Prenatal testing is used to detect changes in the foetus’s genes or chromosomes. They distinguish chromosomal abnormalities, monogenetic diseases caused by single gene mutations and polygenetic diseases that are caused by mutations in several genes. Reasons for a karyotype analysis or invasive prenatal testing are maternal age as the probability of chromosomal abnormalities increase with maternal age, if an existing child of the couple’s has a chromosomal

This process allows the sex of the baby to be chosen, and allows scientist to see the genes before birth, reducing the risk of genetic diseases. The fertilized egg will sit in the dish for a couple days after the sperms has been injected using a very small needle. Then, using multiple embryo plantation, the egg gets implanted back into woman. Scientist and or doctors will perform ultrasounds after to see which embryos are healthy for parents to keep, an amazing process!

The resulting embryo is then transferred to the woman's uterus (womb) to implant and develop naturally.” (Garcia, 2005)

In Vitro Fertilization (IVF)involves giving a woman drugs to induce ovulation and then harvesting (collecting) those mature eggs through a laparoscope. The man masturbates to collect the semen. Then, the semen and ova are mixed in a dish, where fertilization may occur. Then the tiny, new embryonic human(s) are put into the cavity of the woman's uterus with the hope that they will plant and grow. Other sophisticated techniques having the same purpose, employ a diversity of approaches to producing a pregnancy.

IVF is a procedure where a women’s eggs are placed in a dish and are fertilised by donated sperm (usually from the woman’s partner.)’

Sometimes, couples who want to produce offspring find out that they will have serious difficulty conceiving or that there is a high chance that their future child will have a genetic disorder. In these scenarios, a new kind of technology has been developed called in vitro fertilization. When this is done, a female’s non-fertilized eggs are surgically removed and placed in a culture dish along with a male’s sperm cells. During this process, hopefully the eggs will be fertilized and become embryos. These embryos are tested using pre-implantation genetic diagnosis to examine which ones do not have the genetic disorder that could be passed down. When the embryos develop to the 8-cell stage, several healthy ones are chosen to be implanted into the

Pre- implantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD) using In Vitro fertilization is one of the many solutions for families to conceive children who cannot do so naturally. The term “In Vitro” is Latin, meaning “out of the body” ("In Vitro Fertilization (IVF)." Definition). The process begins with a woman taking fertility drugs in order to increase her egg count. The woman plays a physically and emotionally demanding role. She must take powerful hormones for ten days to produce multiple eggs. Every day during in vitro 's early phases, she must give blood to be tested, and then undergoes ultrasound testing so physicians can monitor embryonic development both chemically and visually (International Political Science Review 8.2 (1987)). Afterward, the female’s egg, and the male’s sperm is removed in multiples with the use of a small surgery by the name of follicular aspiration, and placed in a laboratory dish where it is then fertilized for about five to six days. At this point in the process, the newly fertilized embryo is examined to determine whether or not the embryo(s) show(s) any sign of genetic disease or any other flaw that could be potentially passed down from one or both parents. From there, a successfully tested embryo will be placed into the uterus of the female three to five days after, in order to develop naturally. What classifies as a successful embryo would be one that either shows no sign of carrier genes from either parent, or one that shows signs of a recessive carrier

What PGD is: Pre-Implantation Genetic Diagnosis is a procedure used before implantation to identify genetic defects within embryos. It is used to prevent certain genetic diseases or disorders from being passed on to the child by detecting irregularities in the number or structure of embryo chromosomes. The embryos used in the process are generally created through in vitro fertilisation and PGD is used with an IVF cycle to increase the potential for a successful pregnancy and delivery. PGD refers specifically to when one or both genetic parents have a known genetic abnormality. PGS refers to techniques where embryos from chromosomally normal genetic parents are screened for aneuploidy (Abnormal number of chromosomes in a cell.) PGD and PGS

Reproductive technology was developed in the biology and genetics of the embryo as it is now possible to test for chromosome and gene defects in the embryo, prior to implantation. This technique is called preimplantation genetic testing or preimplantation genetic diagnosis and is when one or more cells are removed from the embryo and analysed for chromosomal disorders or genetic diseases before embryo transfer. Therefore, assisted reproductive technologies (ART) not only assist in conception but can also avoid the birth of a child with a disability or hereditary disease. While new technologies continue to extend the available options for infertile couples, they also have the potential to help single women and homosexual couples to have children. Overall, these technologies have developed from when they were first introduced to now and have

IVF is known as in vitro fertilisation. This procedure is done by removing an egg from a female, and a sperm cell from the male and combining the egg and sperm in a test tube. These two then form together and create a zygote, which then begins separating into and forming an embryo . Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD). It is known as the pre testing of pre-implanted embryos for genetic disorders. This operation has been put into place for couples whose offspring will potentially have a risk of inheriting a genetic disorder from the parents . PGD tests for many disorders that can affect the unborn embryo/baby. Some of the diseases that can be scanned for are recessive sex-linked disorders, dominant sex-linked disorders, and single gene disorders. The recessive sex-linked disorders can include Haemophilia, fragile –X syndrome, Spinal Muscular atrophy, and Myotonic Dystrophy. Other disorders that can be inherited are the dominant sex-linked disorders which can consist of Rhett Syndrome, incontinentia pigmenti, and pseudohypererparathyroidis. Some of the single gene disorders that can also be inherited include cystic fibrosis, Huntington’s disease, Tay-sachs, and sickle cell anaemia. It is said that in New Zealand alone there is a 1 in 4 chance of inheriting the disorder, and is most likely to occur with advanced maternal age, recurrent miscarriages and chromosome abnormalities . Some of the women that can benefit from PGD, are

The process of PGD occurs in six main steps. The first step requires the participant to undergo normal IVF treatment to collect and fertilise their eggs. Then the collected embryo is grown in the laboratory for two to three days until the cell have divided and the embryo consists of around eight cells. Once this stage is reached a training embryologist will remove one or two of the cells from the embryo. The fourth step involves the cells being tested. They are tested to see whether the embryo in which they removed contains the gene that causes the specific genetic condition in their family. The following step involves the embryos

If eggs are not being obtained from donation, the prospective mother is given drugs with the purpose of 'controlled ovarian hyperstimulation ' - the ovaries are caused to release a larger quantity of eggs, on demand. For a period of one to two weeks, ultrasound is used to observe the development of immature egg cells. When ready for extraction, the woman is put under sedation and a needle is used to remove the eggs. After a few hours of allowing the eggs to mature, the polar body of an egg (result of uneven cell division, would eventually dissolve) can be taken for testing. However, this sample contains only the mother 's DNA. If the objective is to test the whole DNA of the potential child, or to account for the father 's contribution, the eggs are then fertilised in vitro (in the lab), and a biopsy (typically three days after fertilisation) of the embryo is then performed, using a cell produced from the cell division.

Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) is a screening test used to determine if genetic or chromosomal disorders are present in embryos produced through in vitro fertilization (IVF). Preimplantation genetic diagnosis screens embryos before they are transferred to the uterus so couples can make informed decisions about their next steps in the IVF process. Embryos unaffected by the genetic or chromosomal disorder can be selected for transfer to the uterus.