Causes & Treatment
How to Choose an Embryo for IVF Success
Eloise Edington | 3 Feb 2022
Wondering what embryo selection is? Curious how fertility specialists choose an embryo for implantation during IVF?
Here, our FHH partners at Genomic Prediction explain how embryos are selected during fertility treatment.
The team at Genomic Prediction are world leaders in preimplantation genetic testing (view their profile here). Their LifeView platform consists of advanced embryo genetic tests that can easily be added to existing screening investigations at your fertility clinic. Typical embryo screening tests assess chromosomal-disorders in your embyro(s), Genomic Prediction’s LifeView testing platform takes a deeper look at your embryo’s DNA so the embryo with the best odds is implanted first.
Find out how to add LifeView to your embryo screening tests here.
Before we pass over to Elizabeth Carr at Genomic Prediction, let’s explain what embryo selection is.
What is embryo selection?
During IVF, embryos created from the egg and sperm are screened and selected for implantation. Preimplantation genetic diagnosis is the process of testing an embryo for genetic characteristics, conditions and predispositions to diseases. By understanding the genetic make-up of an embryo, fertility specialists and those undergoing IVF can select the embryo for the best chances of IVF success and pregnancy.
Now, over to Elizabeth…
How has the science behind embryo selection developed?
It was not that long ago that families struggling to conceive had no choice but to accept that their dream was out of reach. Then, IVF changed the world and gave hope for people experiencing fertility problems.
IVF has always been about choice: a couple or solo parent’s choice to fight for their dreams. But also, the choice of an embryo that – hopefully – will develop into a healthy child. How do you choose which embryo to transfer in IVF?
Despite the groundbreaking science of IVF, at first, choosing embryos for transfer was more like a beauty contest. Fertility specialists often chose the best-looking embryo, not knowing whether it would implant, how it would perform in the womb or whether it would lead to an ongoing pregnancy or a healthy baby.
Over time, with new breakthroughs in genetics, fertility doctors learned to test embryos for their chromosome count and to test for single mutations that could increase the risk of certain illnesses later in life. These advances that changed lives and improve the chances of a successful pregnancy and the birth of a healthy baby.
Today, doctors have a clearer picture of embryos than ever before – for the first time, it is now possible to view the whole genome and the potential health risks a child may face in their lifetime in unprecedented detail. This is a game-changer for those struggling with fertility and assisted reproduction techniques.
How can LifeView support embryo selection?
Genomic Prediction has developed LifeView testing, which can tell intended-parents about an embryo’s chromosome count, single-gene risk and polygenic risk. In just one test, LifeView analyses the complex interplay of multiple genes behind the vast majority of genetic diseases, so you and your fertility clinic can select an embryo with significantly lower risks of genetic disorders and conditions. The LifeView report provides the data (and in the cases of PGT-P, an embryo health score) – you and your IVF fertility specialist select which embryo to transfer.
As science has continued to evolve, those pursuing IVF have more choice than ever before, including life-changing decisions about the long-term health of their children.
And even if the choice is between just two embryos, LifeView provides determinations that make a world of difference, and gives parents the ability to make a meaningful, informed choice for the health of their family.
If you had the possibility to know what risks your child carries before pregnancy, would you decide to select which embryo to transfer and give your child the best chance at a life as healthy as possible?
Speak to your fertility clinic to find out about adding Genomic Prediction’s LifeView testing platform to your IVF embryo screening, today.
Get in touch with the team at Genomic Prediction here to discover how they can work with your fertility clinic to improve IVF success.
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