What is IVF with PGT and how does it work?
IVF refers to in vitro fertilization, while PGT stands for preimplantation genetic testing. Together, IVF with PGT provides a quicker path to pregnancy.
The first step involves the woman who will provide the eggs (either the intended mother or an egg donor). She will take ovarian stimulation medications to stimulate egg production. When her eggs are mature, she will undergo an outpatient egg retrieval procedure.
Once one of our fertility doctors retrieves the woman’s eggs, we will send them to the IVF laboratory at our Las Vegas fertility clinic. There, an embryologist will fertilize the eggs with sperm from the intended father or a sperm donor.
After fertilization, the eggs become embryos. This is when PGT can occur. An embryologist will take a small, safe biopsy of each embryo’s outer cells (the ones that will become the placenta). He or she will then send the cells to a genetics laboratory for testing. This testing will look for chromosomal abnormalities, such as too many or too few chromosomes.
The genetics laboratory will then send a report to our clinic. Armed with this information, the doctor will transfer one of the chromosomally normal embryos to the uterus of the intended mother or the gestational surrogate. By only transferring a chromosomally normal embryo, we increase the likelihood of it implanting and developing into a healthy, full-term pregnancy.