Northern California Fertility Doctor Joins Genetic Testing Clinical Study to Help Roseville and Sacramento IVF Infertility Patients Get Pregnant

Getting pregnant using fertility treatments like in vitro fertilization is stressful for any couple. But for couples in which one or both partners has the potential of having a child with a genetically based disease like Tay Sachs or Gaucher’s disease can be frightening. A new genetic screening under clinical study gives at-risk IVF patients a fuller glimpse of their developing embryos.

Until now, IVF patients have had to choose between testing for chromosome abnormalities like Down Syndrome or single-gene hereditary disorders like Tay Sachs. A new screening from Redwood City, Calif. based Gene Security Network combines single gene hereditary disease testing and a 24-chromosome comparison into one test.

Dr. Ernest Zeringue, founder of California IVF: Davis Fertility Center, Inc. says “this test will offer at risk couples an additional tool for increasing their chance of pregnancy while minimizing the risk of having a baby with a genetic disorder.”

While new technology can not completely relieve the worries of getting pregnant, this next step in the genetic testing of embryos will help at risk patients make more informed decisions about their best options for bringing home a healthy baby.

Learn more about female infertility issues, male infertility, in vitro fertilization (IVF), artificial insemination (IUI) and genetic testing (PGD/PGS) from California IVF's Sacramento area fertility experts at our convenient Northern California fertility medical center with offices in Davis and Roseville.

Pre-Implantation Genetic Diagnosis of Embyros Provide "Gene Security" to Sacramento Area IVF Patients

In recent years, genetic testing has made the leap from science fiction to science present. While many older moms-to-be worry about disorders such as Down Syndrome, they are not the only women who can benefit from advanced genetic testing. Couples of any age who have miscarried frequently may gain new insight into their best pregnancy options by combining in-vitro fertilization (IVF) with a 24 gene screening test. At California IVF: Davis Fertility Center, Inc., we are proud to be the greater Sacramento area partner for Gene Security Network, an innovative genetic testing company based in Redwood City, CA. This partnership allows us to provide patients and referring doctors with the cutting edge technology necessary to make informed decisions about the best chances for pregnancy.

Performed in the three to five day window between egg fertilization and embryo implantation, a twenty-four gene pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD24) is a battery of tests that looks at twenty three pairs of chromosomes along with the X/Y gender selecting pair. The result is a chromosome-level glimpse into the viability of a patient’s developing embryos. Ruling out the implantation of embryos with known genetic disorders is the primary reason for this test. Although it is not recommended to perform PGD24 for gender selection alone, this is one potential benefit for couples who are concerned about potential genetic disorders, already have children and wish to balance out their current families by favoring the selection of healthy embryos of a certain sex.

On its website, Gene Security Network lists the following reasons for combining IVF and PGD24 testing:

- the female partner is 35 years of age or older

- the couple has had recurrent miscarriages of unknown cause

- a previous child or pregnancy has had a chromosome abnormality

- the couple is concerned about having a child with a chromosome abnormality

- the couple has had a previous, unsuccessful IVF cycle

- one member of the couple carries a balanced chromosome translocation or inversion

- the couple is at risk of having a child with an inherited single gene genetic disease

Contact California IVF: Davis Fertility Center, Inc. at (530) 771-0177 to learn more about combining IVF with a PDG24 screening from Gene Security Network.

Learn more about the genetic diseases and family balancing reasons that cause many Sacramento, Roseville and Greater Northern California area fertility patients to combine IVF with genetic screenings at our center.