Does IVF program cause genetic disease?
The IVF program is an assisted reproductive technology that helps couples who cannot conceive naturally achieve their reproductive aspirations through in vitro fertilization (IVF) and embryo transfer. However, with the continuous development of IVF technology, people are increasingly worried about whether IVF will cause genetic diseases. This article will elaborate on whether IVF program can cause genetic diseases from four aspects: genetic genes, embryo testing, medical selection and post monitoring.
genetic genes
IVF programs usually use in vitro fertilization or ovulation induction technology to obtain eggs and sperm, and then conduct fertilization and embryo culture in the laboratory. These eggs and sperm come from both parents, so IVF is genetically related to their parents. If parents carry the gene of a genetic disease, their children may also suffer from this disease.
In order to solve this problem, doctors usually carry out genetic testing in the IVF program to determine whether parents carry genes that may cause genetic diseases. If parents are found to carry risk genes, doctors may recommend them to take other methods to avoid the risk of genetic diseases, such as selective embryo reduction or embryo transfer without genetic disease genes.
Therefore, from the perspective of genetics, the IVF program may have a certain risk of genetic disease, but through genetic screening and medical selection, this risk can be reduced.
Embryo testing
Embryo testing is an important part of the IVF program, which can help doctors determine whether an embryo carries genes that may cause genetic diseases. Embryo detection usually uses genomics technology to determine the genome composition of an embryo by sequencing its DNA.
Through embryo testing, doctors can screen embryos carrying genetic disease genes, and select healthy embryos that do not carry these genes for transplantation. This can greatly reduce the risk of genetic diseases in IVF.
However, embryo detection is not 100% accurate, with a certain error rate. This means that the possibility of IVF genetic diseases cannot be completely ruled out even after embryo testing and screening.
Medical options
Medical choices in IVF procedures can also affect whether genetic diseases are present. At the time of embryo transfer, doctors can choose to transfer embryos with genetic disease genes to the mother, or choose to transfer embryos without these genes.
For embryos with severe genetic disease genes, doctors may recommend avoiding transplanting them into the mother to reduce the risk of children's disease. For some embryos with mild or controllable genetic disease genes, doctors may give detailed consultation to pregnant women to help them make decisions.
Post monitoring
Even if the embryo transfer is successful, the IVF still needs to be monitored after birth. This is because some genetic diseases may not be detected in the embryonic stage, but only in childhood or adulthood.
Therefore, as a means of preventing genetic diseases in IVF, doctors usually recommend regular physical examination of IVF to ensure their health. If any abnormality occurs, treatment can be carried out in time.
To sum up, IVF program has certain risks in genetic diseases. This is due to the joint influence of many factors, such as genetic genes, embryo testing, medical selection and post monitoring. However, measures such as genetic gene screening, embryo testing, medical selection and post monitoring can minimize the risk of genetic diseases in IVF and help couples achieve their reproductive aspirations. Therefore, this kind of procedure is still a feasible and safe birth choice under the appropriate medical environment and correct operation.
