The Valley Hospital Fertility Center offers two types of testing on embryos: preimplantation genetic screening, or PGS, and preimplantation genetic diagnosis, or PGD.
PGS is sometimes referred to as comprehensive chromosome screening, or CCS, or preimplantation genetic testing, or PGT.
The Valley Approach to Genetic Screening of Embryos
Genetic screening allows us to increase your chances of becoming pregnant and decrease your chances for a miscarriage or a multiples pregnancy.
This is because we can select embryos without chromosomal abnormalities, such as having too many or too few chromosomes or having chromosomes that are rearranged and in different locations.
We have genetic counselors on our team to help you think through your options for screening — and to discuss your results.
Preimplantation Genetic Screening, or PGS, at Valley
- With PGS, we look for chromosomal abnormalities in an embryo, known as aneuploidy. Chromosomal abnormalities increase a woman’s chance of not getting pregnant or having a miscarriage rate.
- Before we transfer an embryo into the woman, we can select an embryo without chromosomal abnormalities.
- Because of this, we can be more confident that the embryo we are transferring will result in a pregnancy, and we can transfer fewer embryos.
Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis, or PGD, at Valley
- PGD allows us to look for single-gene chromosomal diseases in embryos before they are transferred to the woman’s uterus.
- With PGD, we need to know precisely which disease we are looking for. We also want to know what that disease looks like in the person who created the egg and the person whose sperm we used.
Why Choose Valley for Genetic Screening of Embryos?
- On-site counseling services: We understand that making the decision whether to perform PGS or PGD can be a difficult one — and deciding how to act on the results an even harder one. That’s why we offer on-site counseling services to help you process the information you receive through genetic testing.
- One-on-one attention: In addition to our counselors, our physicians and nurses are available at each of your regular monitoring visits to discuss any questions you have related to your care, including genetic screening.
- State-of-the-art fertility lab: Our fertility lab has the latest in technology — including low-oxygen benchtop incubators — to keep your eggs in the optimal environment while you wait for your results or for your next cycle.
- Our outcomes: Thanks to genetic screening, we can transfer embryos that are more likely to result in a pregnancy. In fact, our in vitro fertilization (IVF) success rates per frozen cycle are higher than the national average for all age groups. For the latest results available for IVF at Valley, visit the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART)’s Valley clinic summary report.
