Genetics and Health

Genetic Defects in IVF Embryos

by Hsien Hsien Lei, PhD on October 24th, 2005

Using preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) to screen 289 embryos created from the eggs of young, healthy donors, Jeffrey Nelson of the Huntington Reproductive Center in California found that 42 percent had some form of chromosomal damage; damage ranged from 28 to 83 percent. What does this mean for women hoping to become pregnant or those who did become pregnant via in vitro fertilization (IVF)?

When the healthiest embryos were identified via PGD, 64 percent of patients become pregnant. And, it’s believes that routine screening of embryos could reduce the chance of miscarriage and multiple pregnancy.

But what about children already born of IVF? Do they harbor a greater number of mutations than the average population? Are they more susceptible to cancer or other diseases? We already know that growth and metabolic genes are altered in addition to a higer risk of some genetic disorders.

Most likely, embryos with significant genetic damage did not result in a viable pregnancy.

The researchers now believe that defective eggs are common among the general population, but are rejected early on by the body if they are fertilized. Drugs used to stimulate women’s ovaries to produce eggs in fertility clinics might add to the genetic damage, researchers said, a prospect that requires further investigation.

The success of IVF has brought countless people much joy. Hopefully, the technique can be further fine tuned for the benefit of children born from IVF.

Randall Parker of FuturePundit ties these findings in with stem cell research.

Taipei Times, October 22, 2005

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POSTED IN: General Genetics and Health