Posted by Serena Chen, MD on July 14, 19100 at 13:42:29:
In Reply to: DR opinion please on preimplantation embryo chromosomal analysis posted by ema2b on July 13, 19100 at 23:51:02:
Dear Ema2b:
Statistically, the most likely reason to lose a pregnancy in the first trimester is a chromosomal abnormality in the pregnancy. This does not necessarily mean that there is something wrong with you, just the pregnancy. On the other hand, after this happens twice, it is certainly reasonable to have some extra testing done to make sure you do not have a specific problem. This is called a "recurrent pregnancy loss work-up". It includes testing for antiphosphlipid syndrome, testing your chromosomes and your husband's chromosomes through a blood sample, making sure the uterus is normal, and a few other blood tests that have probably already been done since you have done ivf. It is very likely that the testing will all come out normal. At that point your chance of having a normal pregnancy next time is 60-70% without any treatment. You could consider preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD). It is not usually used in a person with this type of history because it involves doing an invasive procedure on the embryos. At your age, if you and your husband's chromosomes are normal, the likelihood that PGD would make a significant difference is relatively low. Good luck!
Serena Chen
: my doctor suspects possible chromosomal abnormality in my embryos because both "successful" ivf cycles resulted in pregnancies that were not viable: no heart beat at 8 weeks, plus multiple empty sacks. i am 33 with no other known problems. my questions are: is this a reasonable suspicion? what does chromosomal analysis entail? are there some hospitals/labs that do this on site better than others? is donor sperm necessary to isolate whether the problem is in the egg or sperm? at what point do i consider donor egg/sperm? what else do i need to consider before pursuing this plan? any comments are appreciated. thank you.