normal vs abnormal embryos after pgd
1 Replies
hopefully trying - March 2

Dr. Smith,

I'm 40, DH 49, dx unexplained infertility,hx of hypothyroidism and minimal to absent periods. IUIs showed thin endometrium. I'm also positive for sperm antibodies. IVF#1 Yesterday was ET of 3 healthy blasts. One was Grade A (boy) and 2 were grade B (1 grade b was early blast - boy, the other a girl). I had 9 eggs, 8 mature and fertilized. Of those 8 after pgd, 3 were healthy but 5 had problems (even though 3 of the 5 "looked" really good). I was told that of those who were abnormal 1 had trisomy 21, tetrasomy 18, and monosomy 22. 1 had trisomy 13. 1 had trisomy 16. 1 had monosomy 16 and 18. What does this tell you about 1) my chances for healthy pregnancy 2) my health...i.e. if this doesn't succeed should we try again. 3) It seems there is clustering of problems with chromosomes 16 and 18...does this tell you anything?

You've responded to other questions before. Thanks you for your willingness to help allay anxiety!!

 

Dr Smith - March 3

The PGD results are within the expected range. By the time you're 40, about 60-70% of your embryos will be anueploid (abnormal number of chromosomes). Scarey, isn't it? When PGD is performed, up to 9 pairs of chromosmes can be tested. The chromosome pairs that are tested are the most common causes of anueploidy. The "clustering" of problems with chromosmes 16 and 18 are within the expected range. However, please be aware that other chromsome pairs that are not tested with PGD can cause trouble too, so the PGD results do not guarantee that the 3 "normal" embryos are truly "normal".

Your chances of pregnancy are good (relatively speaking for your age). I'd ballpark your chances of a successful term pregnancy at about 30%. The PGD results say nothing about your general health. Chromosme abnormalities in the eggs arise spontaneously. You do didn't do anything to cause them and staying fit (or not) does not affect the occurance of chromosme abnormalities in the eggs. Anueploidy is soley a factor of age. That being said, being fit can improve your chances of carrying a pregnancy to term, provided a good embryo is obtained.

The flip side of a 30% chance of success is a 70% chance of failure. If this attempt is unsuccessful, I think you should try again. Having 3 "normal" embryos for transfer is acceptable for your age and I don't see any reason to quit after a single attempt.

 

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