PGT-A for recurrent miscarriage can help you have your rainbow baby
It can be heartbreaking to experience a miscarriage, and if you’ve had two or more, you might wonder if you can ever bring home a healthy baby. You’ll be relieved to know that Texas Fertility Center San Antonio offers hope. Our San Antonio infertility doctor can help you welcome your rainbow baby using in vitro fertilization (IVF) and PGT-A for recurrent miscarriage.
What is PGT-A for recurrent miscarriage and how does it work?
Also known as preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy, PGT-A is a form of genetic testing for IVF embryos. It looks at a small sample of cells from each embryo to determine which embryos are chromosomally normal. Because chromosomal abnormalities cause about 50% of miscarriages, PGT-A can help many people have the baby they’ve been dreaming of.
If you decide to pursue PGT-A for recurrent miscarriage, it will occur as part of an IVF cycle. This advanced treatment involves several steps, including ovarian stimulation, egg retrieval and fertilization in the IVF lab.
Embryologists in the lab will monitor the growth and development of the fertilized eggs as they become embryos. Once the embryos reach Day 5 to Day 7 of development, the embryologist can remove six to eight cells from each embryo. They perform this embryo biopsy on the trophectoderm. This is the outer layer of the embryo that will become the placenta. As such, PGT-A is safe for IVF embryos.
After taking the biopsies, the embryologist will freeze the embryos and send the cell samples to a genetics lab. Our San Antonio infertility doctor will receive your results about a week later. She will review the results with you to decide which of the IVF embryos to transfer.
Who should consider this form of genetic testing for IVF embryos?
Our San Antonio infertility doctor often recommends PGT-A for recurrent miscarriage. However, patients who have experienced multiple miscarriages aren’t the only ones who can benefit from PGT-A. Several other groups of patients may want to consider this form of testing.
- Women over age 35
- Patients who have a history of IVF cycle failure
- People who want a faster path to pregnancy
- Patients who are interested in family balancing/sex selection
If you’re interested in learning more about IVF and PGT-A, our team can help. Contact us to schedule an appointment and get the information you need to make the best choice for you and your family.