Can Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD) Reduce the Risk for Recurrent Pregnancy Loss?
Last Updated: November 7, 2004 Page: 1 Introduction Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis or PGD is an exciting new technology that can detect genetic abnormalities such as disease-causing mutations and chromosomal abnormalities to prevent the conception of abnormal pregnancies or children. PGD has made the headlines recently in some controversial cases, including the use of PGD to prevent transmission of adult-onset diseases such as Alzheimers; and the use of PGD to help conceive an HLA-matched child to donate bone marrow for a sibling with Fanconis anemia. However, what is even more exciting than these headline stories is that PGD may also be a very effective treatment option for women who suffer recurrent first trimester pregnancy loss, for women with a history of a chromosomally abnormal pregnancy, and for women with age-related infertility. PGD can be used to detect aneuploidy in a very young embryo, before the embryo attaches to the mothers uterus. Aneuploidy is a condition in which
