While in vitro fertilization (IVF) is most often employed as a remedy for infertility, a discussion of the field would not be complete if it did not address the application of IVF to avoid genetic disorders. IVF makes it possible to assess the genetic status of the embryo before establishing a pregnancy when couples are at risk for an affected child. Physicians in the field will benefit from be...

The ninth report of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis Consortium is presented documenting cycles collected for the calendar year 2006 and follow-up of the pregnancies and babies born until October 2007, which resulted from these cycles. Since the beginning of the data collections there has been a steady increase in the number of cycles, ...

OBJECTIVE To develop and assess a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) approach for detection of chromosomal imbalances in embryos. DESIGN A prospective study of embryos derived from chromosome translocation carriers that have undergone PGD using a novel molecular-based approach. SETTING A reference molecular genetics laboratory specialized in the pr...

Comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) is an indirect DNA-based test which allows for the accurate analysis of aneuploidy involving any of the 24 types of chromosomes present (22 autosomes and the X and Y sex chromosomes). Traditionally, embryos have been screened using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH)--a technique that was limited in the number of chromosomes able to be identified in...