Email this page
Print this page
Nearly three-quarters of in vitro fertilization (IVF) clinics now offer preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD), according to soon-to-be released survey results from the Genetics and Public Policy Center. PGD is now used in 4 percent to 6 percent of in vitro fertilization cycles, the Center estimates, and two-thirds of all PGD cycles in 2005 were for aneuploidy, chromosomal abnormalities that cause miscarriages or birth defects.
Forty-two percent of clinics offering PGD have provided the service for non-medical sex selection, the survey found. Moreover, 23 percent of providers have performed PGD in an attempt to produce a child who is an immunological match for a seriously ill sibling, while ensuring that the baby also will be free of the genetic disease affecting the older sibling. The Center also reports that 21 percent of PGD providers surveyed have been aware of inconsistencies between the results of their genetic analysis of embryos and later genetic testing of the fetus or child.
The results appear in an upcoming online edition of the journal Fertility and Sterility. The Center is supported at the Phoebe R. Berman Bioethics Institute of Johns Hopkins University by The Pew Charitable Trusts.
PGD refers to the practice of removing a single cell from an embryo grown in a laboratory in order to test the embryo’s genetic makeup. Doctors and patients use this information to decide which embryos to transfer to a prospective mother’s womb. Originally devised to screen for deadly childhood diseases, PGD can also be used for more controversial purposes, such as to have a child of a certain sex, or one who is an immunological match for a sick sibling.
“Today, PGD use appears to be growing rapidly yet no comprehensive data exist about the practice of PGD in the United States,” the authors of the paper observe. “Without the basic facts, it is not possible for researchers to evaluate thoroughly current PGD practices and devise ways to improve the technology or analyze the health outcomes for babies born following PGD.” This lack of information led the Center to survey IVF clinic directors about the practice.
The authors note that the Center is working with professional organizations to establish a comprehensive database of PGD practices and outcomes. They conclude, “[t]his type of detailed longitudinal research will help patients make better-informed decisions and will help professionals develop appropriate guidelines and standards for PGD.”
Read the survey results
