Preimplantation Genetic Testing

Preimplantation Genetic Testing (PGT): Ensuring Healthy Embryos for IVF Success

Every couple embarking on an In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) journey shares the same ultimate goal: carrying a healthy baby to full term. At New Dawn IVF | Fertility Centre, we utilize advanced Preimplantation Genetic Testing (PGT) to look beyond the surface appearance of an embryo, giving us the power to evaluate its genetic health before transfer takes place.

By analyzing the chromosomal or genetic makeup of embryos during an IVF cycle, Prof. Biodun Olagbuji and our scientific team can ensure that only the healthiest embryos with the highest developmental potential are selected for transfer. This cutting-edge screening significantly reduces the risk of miscarriage, shortens the time it takes for you to achieve a pregnancy, and gives you deep peace of mind.

Who Benefits Most from PGT Screening?

While PGT can optimize IVF outcomes for many families, it is a highly critical tool for couples facing specific reproductive challenges:

Advanced Maternal Age: Women over the age of 35 naturally experience a higher percentage of chromosomal variations in their eggs. PGT helps us identify the structurally sound embryos most likely to lead to a successful pregnancy.
Recurrent Pregnancy Loss: For couples who have endured the deep heartbreak of multiple miscarriages, PGT can uncover underlying chromosomal imbalances that frequently trigger early pregnancy loss.
Known Genetic Risks: If you or your partner are carriers of a specific hereditary condition, PGT allows us to safeguard your future children from inheriting the disorder.

The Two Primary Types of PGT Testing We Offer

To support your family’s unique genetic history, our state-of-the-art laboratory in Sierra Leone provides two specialized forms of testing:

PGT-A (Aneuploidy Screening): This test checks the overall chromosomal health of the embryo. It ensures the embryo contains the exact correct number of chromosomes (46), ruling out conditions like Down syndrome or structural imbalances that lead to implantation failure.
PGT-M (Monogenic/Single-Gene Disorders): This highly targeted test is designed for couples at risk of passing down a specific genetic mutation. We use it to screen for single-gene conditions such as Sickle Cell Disease, Cystic Fibrosis, or Huntington’s disease, ensuring your future baby is born free of that specific hereditary illness.

Give Your Embryos the Strongest Start Possible

Choosing PGT is an empowering way to protect your future family and maximize your investment in an IVF cycle. Contact our specialist team at New Dawn IVF | Fertility Centre today to learn how genetic screening can bring you closer to a healthy, happy pregnancy.

The PGT Process: From Blastocyst Stage to Embryo Transfer

Integrating genetic screening into your fertility timeline is a highly sophisticated, multi-step scientific process. However, for you as a patient, it fits seamlessly into a standard In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) cycle.

At New Dawn IVF | Fertility Centre, our advanced embryology team handles every microscopic detail with extreme care. Here is a clear, step-by-step overview of how we guide your embryos from fertilization to a safe, healthy transfer:

1.The IVF Foundation:

The journey begins with a standard IVF cycle. Under the guidance of Prof. Biodun Olagbuji, eggs are gently retrieved from the ovaries and fertilized with sperm in our state-of-the-art laboratory to create your embryos.

2.Culturing to the Blastocyst Stage:

Instead of transferring embryos after just three days, we culture them for 5 to 6 days until they reach the blastocyst stage. At this point, the embryo has grown into a highly organized structure of around 100 to 150 cells, signaling strong developmental potential.

3.Precision Trophectoderm Biopsy:

Once a blastocyst forms, our expert embryologist performs a microscopic cell sampling. Using a high-precision laser, a few cells are gently removed from the trophectoderm—the outer layer that eventually forms the placenta. The inner cell mass, which develops into the actual baby, is left entirely untouched and safe.

4.Safe Vitrification & Genetic Analysis:

While your embryos are safely frozen (vitrified) in our lab to preserve their quality, the tiny cell samples are sent for deep genetic analysis. The cells undergo advanced testing to screen for overall chromosomal balance (PGT-A) or specific hereditary mutations (PGT-M).

5.Data-Driven Embryo Selection:

Once the highly accurate genetic reports return, they reveal exactly which embryos are chromosomally normal and free from targeted genetic conditions. This allows us to definitively identify the embryos with the absolute highest chance of implantation and full-term health.

6.Optimized Frozen Embryo Transfer (FET):

In a subsequent, carefully prepared cycle, your body is optimized to receive the pregnancy. A single, genetically healthy embryo is selected and gently transferred into your uterus, maximizing your chances of a successful, worry-free pregnancy from day one.

Why the Blastocyst Biopsy Matters:

By safely sampling cells only from the outer layer (the future placenta) rather than a day-3 embryo, the genetic testing process maintains an incredibly high safety profile, ensuring no critical cellular material is taken from the developing baby.

Benefits of PGT-A (Aneuploidy Screening): Improving Implantation Rates and Live Birth Success

In a traditional In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) cycle, embryos are selected for transfer based purely on how they look under a microscope. While visual appearance is helpful, it doesn’t reveal the whole story. An embryo can look visually perfect but still have an incorrect number of chromosomes—a condition called aneuploidy.

Preimplantation Genetic Testing for Aneuploidy (PGT-A), previously known as PGS, changes the game. By giving Prof. Biodun Olagbuji and our laboratory team a definitive look inside the chromosomal structure of each embryo, PGT-A dramatically shifts the odds of IVF success in your favor.

How PGT-A Re-engineers Your IVF Journey

By ensuring only chromosomally balanced embryos are selected for transfer, PGT-A offers profound medical and emotional benefits:

Significantly Improved Implantation Rates: An embryo must have exactly 46 chromosomes to implant properly into the uterine lining. PGT-A identifies these balanced embryos, ensuring your transfer has the absolute highest probability of taking root.
A Dramatic Reduction in Miscarriage Risk: Up to 70% of early miscarriages are triggered by random chromosomal abnormalities. By screening these out before transfer, PGT-A protects you from the devastating physical and emotional heartbreak of early pregnancy loss.
Higher Live Birth Rates: The ultimate goal is not just a positive pregnancy test, but bringing a healthy baby home. Transferring a genetically normal embryo ensures the pregnancy is structurally sound enough to progress safely to full term.
A Shorter, More Efficient Time to Pregnancy: Without PGT-A, a couple might undergo multiple emotionally exhausting embryo transfers using embryos that are destined to fail. By selecting the right embryo first, PGT-A minimizes failed cycles, saving you valuable time, financial resources, and emotional energy.
Restoring Hope for Advanced Maternal Age: Because egg quality naturally declines over time, a woman at age 35 has a higher percentage of aneuploid embryos than a woman at 25. PGT-A acts as an equalizer, filtering out age-related chromosomal variations and giving older women identical transfer success rates to younger patients.

The Emotional Advantage: Beyond the clinical statistics, PGT-A gives you answers. Instead of wondering “Why didn’t this transfer work?”, genetic screening provides clear, data-driven insights that allow us to optimize every single step of your treatment plan at New Dawn IVF | Fertility Centre.

Benefits of PGT-M (Monogenic Disorders Screening): Managing Inherited Genetic Risks

In a traditional In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) cycle, embryos are selected for transfer based purely on how they look under a microscope. While visual appearance is helpful, it doesn’t reveal the whole story. An embryo can look visually perfect but still have an incorrect number of chromosomes—a condition called aneuploidy.

How PGT-A Re-engineers Your IVF Journey

By ensuring only chromosomally balanced embryos are selected for transfer, PGT-A offers profound medical and emotional benefits:

Significantly Improved Implantation Rates: An embryo must have exactly 46 chromosomes to implant properly into the uterine lining. PGT-A identifies these balanced embryos, ensuring your transfer has the absolute highest probability of taking root.
A Dramatic Reduction in Miscarriage Risk: Up to 70% of early miscarriages are triggered by random chromosomal abnormalities. By screening these out before transfer, PGT-A protects you from the devastating physical and emotional heartbreak of early pregnancy loss.
Higher Live Birth Rates: The ultimate goal is not just a positive pregnancy test, but bringing a healthy baby home. Transferring a genetically normal embryo ensures the pregnancy is structurally sound enough to progress safely to full term.
A Shorter, More Efficient Time to Pregnancy: Without PGT-A, a couple might undergo multiple emotionally exhausting embryo transfers using embryos that are destined to fail. By selecting the right embryo first, PGT-A minimizes failed cycles, saving you valuable time, financial resources, and emotional energy.
Restoring Hope for Advanced Maternal Age: Because egg quality naturally declines over time, a woman at age 35 has a higher percentage of aneuploid embryos than a woman at 25. PGT-A acts as an equalizer, filtering out age-related chromosomal variations and giving older women identical transfer success rates to younger patients.

Take Your Next Confident Step Today

Your dream of parenthood is entirely worth fighting for, and the right diagnostic clarity can change everything. Reach out to our dedicated specialist team today to learn more about how our advanced genetic screening services can support your specific fertility goals and bring you true peace of mind.

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