What is PGD?

PGD or Preimplantation Genetic Screening (PGS) are procedures used to detect genetic or chromosomal abnormalities in embryos created during an IVF cycle by removing and testing a cell from the embryo on day three of development. Two days later, only a limited number of normal embryos are transferred. The most common reasons to consider doing PGD is if a woman has a strong history of miscarriages, or if she is over 37 years old. A much larger percentage of women over 40 will do PGD compared to younger women. Aneuploidy (an abnormal number of chromosomes) increases significantly with age, thereby increasing conditions such as Down syndrome and miscarriages.