How to prevent genetic problems of IVF?
The development of IVF technology provides a reproductive option for couples who cannot conceive naturally. However, because IVF is carried out by manual operation, genetic problems have become the focus of attention. This article will elaborate on the preventive measures for genetic problems of IVF from aspects such as embryo screening, parental genetic disease screening, assisted implantation technology and follow-up after birth.
Embryo screening
Embryo screening is an important part of IVF technology, which can help prevent the transmission of some genetic diseases. When at least 5-6 cells are cultured through the embryo, the embryo genome can be analyzed to screen out embryos carrying certain genetic diseases or chromosome abnormalities. This technology is carried out before IVF embryos are implanted, which can avoid implantation and development of embryos with genetic diseases.
Embryo screening mainly includes single gene genetic detection of genetic diseases and screening of chromosome abnormalities. The detection of single gene genetic diseases usually uses prediction analysis, PCR, Sanger sequencing and other technologies to detect whether the disease gene is carried. Chromosome abnormalities can be screened by PGS (Embryo Chromosome Karyotype Screening) technology. Chromosome karyotype analysis can be performed before embryo implantation to avoid embryo implantation failure or abnormal embryo development caused by chromosome abnormalities.
The continuous development of embryo screening technology provides an important means to prevent the transmission of genetic diseases. However, it should be noted that there are still some false positive and false negative screening rates. Therefore, before IVF, couples should receive genetic counseling and clinical guidance to select appropriate screening programs.
Parental genetic disease screening
Parental genetic disease screening is another important link before IVF. Through the detection of genes related to genetic diseases in couples, we can know whether they are at risk of carrying genetic diseases. If one of them is found to have a disease gene, doctors can choose to transfer the embryo without the gene to avoid the transmission of genetic diseases.
Parental genetic disease screening usually includes gene mutation screening and genealogical analysis. Gene mutation screening is to determine whether couples are mutation carriers by determining the mutation status of genes related to specific genetic diseases. Genealogy analysis assesses the risk of genetic diseases carried by couples by studying family history and parental genetic disease history.
The purpose of parental genetic disease screening is to reduce the risk of genetic disease transmission and ensure the health of test tube babies. Before IVF, couples should take the initiative to accept parental genetic disease screening, find out the risk of carrying genetic diseases in time, and reduce the transmission of genetic diseases.
Auxiliary techniques for implantation
IVF embryos need to go through a series of auxiliary technologies before implantation to improve the implantation rate and reduce the risk of implantation failure. Among them, PGD (gene diagnosis of embryonic blastocyst cells) and PGS (chromosome karyotype screening of embryos) are two important technologies.
PGD technology selects embryos without genetic disease genes for implantation by taking out one or more cells for genetic analysis before IVF embryo implantation. PGD technology can detect multiple gene and chromosome abnormalities at the same time to improve the accuracy of embryo selection.
PGS technology is to screen the chromosome karyotype of the embryo and exclude the embryo with abnormal chromosome for implantation. Chromosome abnormality is one of the common reasons for implantation failure and early abortion. The application of PGS technology can improve the implantation rate of IVF and reduce the risk of early abortion.
Follow up after birth
After the birth of test tube babies, long-term follow-up and investigation as well as genetic testing are required. During follow-up, doctors will pay attention to the performance of infants in growth, intellectual development and mental health, and timely discover and deal with possible genetic problems.
During the follow-up after birth, the common genetic tests include genome sequencing, chromosome karyotype analysis, exon sequencing, etc., to carefully detect the genetic status of infants. If genetic problems are found, doctors will formulate corresponding intervention and treatment plans according to the specific situation to ensure the healthy growth of the baby.
In a word, the prevention of genetic problems in IVF involves embryo screening, parental genetic disease screening, assisted implantation technology and post birth follow-up. The application of these measures can significantly reduce the risk of transmission of genetic diseases and ensure the health of IVF. However, it should be noted that each couple's situation is different. It is recommended that couples consult a professional doctor in advance to develop personalized preventive measures before IVF.
