A long-delayed dream to parenthood with PGT-A

Sneha a 34-year old woman and her 36-year-old husband Sanjay, married for 9 years were desperate to start a family and had tried several fertility treatments over the past 6 years, but all was in vain until they had visited the Oasis fertility center in Pune. The couple had a history of multiple failed fertility treatments. They also suffered from two miscarriages from 4 IVF cycles. They were suggested to undergo routine investigations, which revealed she had a bilateral tubal block, and chromosomal abnormalities. However, Sanjay had a normal DFI (which reflects the integrity and damage of sperm DNA) value of 24%.

Given the advanced age, and previous failures, a treatment plan was formulated, where the couple had to undergo a genetic screening (PGT) of the embryos, before the embryo transfer to increase their chances of conception.

Pre-implantation genetic testing (PGT) is an early form of prenatal diagnosis, to detect the abnormalities in the embryos, during an in vitro fertilization (IVF) process, before an embryo transfer to the woman’s uterus.

Genetic abnormalities are defined as extra or missing chromosomes or chromosome parts, which is common in human embryos leading to a greater risk of either a pregnancy loss or conceiving a baby with genetic abnormalities.

How are genetic abnormalities in embryos tested?
Analyzing the genetic composition of the embryo is called pre-implantation genetic testing. Three types of PGT tests may be performed on the embryos during an IVF cycle.

• PGT-A – Preimplantation genetic screening for Aneuploidy (abnormal chromosome number)
• PGT-M – Preimplantation genetic testing for monogenic (individual) disease
• PGT-SR – Preimplantation genetic testing for chromosomal structural rearrangements

The most common type of test is the PGT-A, as it can identify embryos that are not suitable for a transfer due to underlying abnormalities. PGT involves taking a biopsy of an embryo, which will later develop into the placenta.

Fertility specialists recommend PGT to couples who encounter problems with conception, advanced maternal age, repeated implantation failures, repeated pregnancy loss, or severe male infertility.

Given Sneha’s genetic condition – she was counseled for pooling up of embryos, which was later subjected to PGT-A. Later a laparoscopic evaluation was performed on her blocked fallopian tubes and only the normal embryos were transferred. The embryo transfer was successful, resulting in a conception.
Thus, with personalized treatment, expert guidance, and irrepressible will on the part of the couples, their parenthood dreams were fulfilled at Oasis Fertility.