Tips for Getting Pregnant with IVF

Host Dawn Davenport, Executive Director of Creating a Family, the national infertility & adoption education and support nonprofit, interviews Dr. Marcy Maguire, a reproductive embryologist at Reproductive Medical Associates of New Jersey and professor at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

Hit the Highlights
  • What makes a good embryo (and by good, I mean one that will implant and grow for 9 months to become a baby)?
  • What is Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD)?
  • What is Preimplantation Genetic Screening (PGS), or Comprehensive Chromosome Screening (CSS)?
  • What is the difference between PGD and PGS?
  • What is the most common reasons embryos don’t implant into the uterus or miscarry after 6 to 8 weeks?
  • Are chromosomal abnormalities in an embryo more common in in vitro fertilization (IVF) than in a naturally conceived pregnancy?
  • Other than chromosomal abnormalities, what else effects an embryo being able to implant and grow without miscarriage?
  • Is PGD and chromosomal screening (which requires cells to be removed from an embryo) safe for the embryo, and any future baby or child?
  • At what stage of embryo development can PGD and PGS (chromosomal screening) be done?
  • Is there an advantage to doing Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD) or Preimplantation Genetic Screening (PGS) or Comprehensive Chromosome Screening (CSS) at Day 5 over Day 3?
  • What type of chromosomal screening is available?
  • Does chromosomal screening require that all embryos be frozen or is it possible to do chromosomal screening with a fresh embryo transfer?
  • Is your chance of success with IVF better with a fresh or frozen embryo transfer?
  • What is the “window of implantation”?
  • How much does chromosomal screening (CSS, PGD, PGS) add to the cost of in vitro fertilization (IVF)?
  • Can chromosomal screening be used to create “designer babies” through IVF?
  • What is the pregnancy rate for IVF cycles that choose the embryo to transfer based on chromosomal screening?
  • Is chromosomal screening (PGS, CSS) useful in older women?
  • How to choose an infertility clinic that will be able to do embryo screening with IVF?

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Image Credit: aa o’carroll
Show originally aired in 2013.