Who Can Benefit from GSN Testing?
The purpose of the following scenarios is to highlight patient profiles where GSN’s Parental Support technology has been beneficial. The following vignettes are based off of composites of real patient stories, but all names are fictitious and any reference to a specific person is coincidental. For testimonials from real patients, please see GSN’s Testimonial Page.
Heather: Repeat IVF Cycles with Failed Implantation
This is Heather’s third IVF cycle – her first two cycles resulted in no implantation following transfer of 2 embryos with good morphology. Heather is hoping to use PGD for aneuploidy in conjunction with her IVF cycle this time around.
There is some evidence that couples with multiple IVF failures (RIF) can have IVF success with PGD. By using GSN’s Parental Support to screen all 24 chromosomes within each embryo Heather will be getting the most comprehensive and accurate testing available. Screening all 24 chromosomes of each embryo for abnormalities, prior to transfer, allows her and her doctors to make the best decisions about which embryos to transfer. Transfer of embryos with normal chromosome results may result in a higher chance for implantation and a lower chance for miscarriage.
A number of studies suggest that some patients with RIF may have a higher rate of embryos with chromosome abnormalities; screening all 24 chromosomes reduces the chance to transfer an embryo with an abnormal number of chromosomes.
Mary: Concerned About Down Syndrome
Mary is 36 years old and has one healthy child from a previous marriage. She and her new husband have been trying to have a child together but are having difficulty conceiving so are planning to use IVF.
Mary’s 35-year old friend just had a baby with Down syndrome. Mary knows that the risk of having a baby with Down Syndrome increases with a mother’s age, and she wants to make sure she takes whatever steps she can to avoid a similar situation.
Gene Security Network’s 24-chromosome aneuploidy screening is an excellent choice for women like Mary. Women 35 and older often choose to do PGD for aneuploidy during IVF to decrease the chance of transferring an embryo with a chromosome abnormality. Mary wants to make sure she uses the most accurate testing available, and decides to do Parental Support PGD since she knows it has published data on test accuracy.
Gene Security Network helps older women reduce the risk of implanting an embryo with condition such as Down Syndrome.
Anne: Recurrent Pregnancy Loss
Anne and Josh have been trying to have a baby for the past 4 years. They have suffered the emotional pain of 3 first-trimester miscarriages of unknown cause. Anne and Josh have been tested and both have normal chromosomes.
Anne is now considering in vitro fertilization (IVF). They’ve heard PGD can increase the chance of a successful pregnancy. Anne has normal FSH levels; Josh has a normal sperm count and no other physical problems have been identified during their fertility work-up.
Studies to date suggest that couples with multiple miscarriages of unknown cause have a higher rate of embryos with chromosome abnormalities. Chromosome testing of miscarriages has shown that abnormalities can occur on every chromosome. Embryos with missing or extra chromosomes often do not implant, are lost in miscarriage, or result in the birth of a baby with a chromosome syndrome such as Down syndrome.
Anne wants to use a PGD test that will evaluate every chromosome from 1 to 22 plus the X and Y chromosome. She decides to use Parental Support PGD to get the most comprehensive information about potential chromosome abnormalities so that her doctor can identify those embryos most likely to have normal chromosomes and least likely to result in miscarriage.
Since abnormalities can occur on every chromosome, screening all 24 is essential to reducing the chance of miscarriage.
Julia: Translocation Carrier
Julia’s partner, Robert, carries a balanced chromosome translocation which has been identified as the reason for their three prior miscarriages. Julia used FISH in a past IVF cycle to test for the translocation in the embryos prior to transfer, but, unfortunately, she miscarried due to a chromosome abnormality on a different chromosome (FISH cannot test all chromosomes). They are considering IVF with GSN’s PGD and 24-chromosome testing this time so they can test for the translocation along with other chromosome abnormalities.
Gene Security Network can test for unbalanced translocations, inversions, and chromosome rearrangements in conjunction with 24-chromosome aneuploidy screening to ensure that Julia isn’t just screening for one problem but doing the most thorough testing that she can. GSN helps her make the most informed decisions about which embryos to consider for transfer.
For couples with a known chromosome translocation: Testing for both unbalanced translocations and aneuploidy at once ensures you are performing the most comprehensive test available.