Genetic Support in IVF Treatment!

Embryologist Abdullah Arslan made statements about in vitro fertilization treatments with genetic screening support. Arslan said, “In vitro fertilization treatment is not only applied to couples who want to have children” and continued as follows; “Candidates who have not had a healthy pregnancy before, have a carrier disease history from their mother or father, and have experienced two or more pregnancy losses can also have children with IVF treatment. Again, we see children who are waiting for a bone marrow transplant, which we encounter very often. The families of these children can give birth to "medicine siblings" who have the appropriate genetics for marrow donation and can ensure the recovery of their sick children. From this point of view, we can say that in vitro fertilization treatments serve as a method that prevents the transmission of genetic diseases and is applied for therapeutic purposes.

How is it done?

Genetic screening in IVF treatment proceeds in two ways. First of all, when the parents-to-be are aware of the genetic problem they are carrying or are sick, and apply to the IVF center, priority is given to the screening for this diagnosed disease. Cells taken from the embryos obtained from the couples in whom the normal IVF treatment protocol was initiated, with the biopsy procedure performed on the third or fifth day, are screened for the presence of the disease in which the diagnosis was made before. Embryos that are found to be sick or not carriers are transferred to the mother. Embryologist Abdullah Arslan, who said that in this way, a healthy baby, free from the diseases of the parents, will be born, continued his words as follows; “Another approach is that couples with recurrent pregnancy losses or repeated unsuccessful IVF attempts are processed with the IVF protocol. It is examined for possible miscarriage, biochemical pregnancy or genetic disorders that will lead to a failed outcome. In these examinations, all 23 pairs of chromosomes and genetic diseases passing through the sex chromosomes are screened, and healthy and suitable embryos are transferred to the expectant mother and a pregnancy is tried to be obtained.

Does the procedure harm the embryo?

One of the most frequently asked questions by our couples who come to IVF treatment is whether the biopsy procedure will harm the embryo. We can safely say that biopsy procedures performed by expert embryologists and in accordance with protocols do not harm the embryo. These processes, which are performed by expert embryologists, do not harm the embryo, as well as freezing the embryos and thawing at the time of transfer until the result of the genetic screening is obtained.

How many embryos can be genetically examined?

There is no lower number limit for embryos to be genetically analyzed. Genetic analysis can be performed when there is only one embryo or in cases where there are more. However, the more embryos genetically screened, the more likely we are to reach a normal embryo. Sometimes, the embryos of our patients with a low number of embryos can be collected with the pool method and then genetic screening can be performed collectively.