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July 5th, 2007

"Fertility Technique Bad for Success Rate"

A popular reproductive technology procedure that has long been touted as a method of boosting the successful birth rate for older women actually reduces the birth rate by a third, according to a Dutch study published today in The New England Journal of Medicine.

PGD: Traditional vs. New Uses

Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) was developed about 17 years ago as a test for specific genetic defects. In the PGD technique, a single cell is removed from a three-day-old embryo, which has only eight cells. The removed cell is then subjected to a genetic analysis, looking for specific genetic problems that the mother or father is known to be carrying.

If an abnormality is detected, the embryo is not used for implantation in the mother. If there's no abnormality, the remaining seven cells can grow into a healthy baby.

Screening the Embryos of Older Women

In addition to PGD's use as a screening for genetic problems, many reproductive clinics and physicians have been using PGD to screen older women who are seeking help conceiving. The technique is used in these cases to weed out embryos with abnormalities in an effort to increase the success rate of implantation.

A few thousand PGD procedures are performed for older women each year in the U.S., with clinics suggesting that undergoing PGD will help prospective parents increase their chances of having a successful pregnancy. The technique's popularity for older women has been growing sharply, with a 30% increase in the number of PGD tests done each year for this purpose.

New Study Reveals the Detrimental Effect

However, the new study revealed that PGD for screening older women's embryos is not only not helpful — it's detrimental to the chances of a successful pregnancy.

The researchers tracked the success rate of 408 women (age 35 to 41) who each underwent in vitro fertilization (IVF). Half of the women had PGD screening before the IVF procedure, and the other half did not. Of the women who had PGD, 24 percent had successful births, versus a 35-percent success rate in the no-PGD group.

Death Knell for PGD as a Screen for Older Women

Several reproductive technology experts who were not involved in the new study commented on its results, which mirror the findings of several smaller studies. Dr. Richard Scott, founder of a chain of IVF centers called Reproductive Medicine Associates, said "This rings the death knell" for the use of PGD for the routine screening of older women.

Dr. Elizabeth Ginsburg, the medical director of the IVF program at Brigham & Women's Hospital in Boston, contended, "This is not helping people get pregnant."

(Source: The Boston Globe online)

Do you feel that you've been misled about the benefits of PGD or another medical procedure? Speak with an experienced medical malpractice attorney today to discuss your concerns.