Barren promise : the hope and heartache in treating infertility

Abstract

Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD) is a reproductive medicine technology that allows the genetic characteristics of embryos to be examined. Created through in vitro fertilization, embryos are grown in a Petri dish for three days, at which point they have eight cells. One cell is then removed from each embryo and tested for certain genetic characteristics. Based on the results, selected embryos are transferred into a woman's uterus. Originally developed as a way to screen embryos for genetic disorders, PGD was used among a limited number of patients. More recently, however, some physicians and researchers have deemed PGD a useful infertility treatment. As a result, the number of people using PGD has increased every year since the technology was first developed in 1989. The role of PCGD as an emerging infertility treatment was examined from research, clinical, and personal perspectives. This was done through literature searches, interviews, laboratory observations, and attendance at infertility support meetings.