What Makes a Good Embryo for IVF

Which embryos in IVF are more likely to implant and grow for 9 months and result in a healthy baby? What can patients and doctors do to select the best embryo to give you the best chance of a successful pregnancy? Host Dawn Davenport, Executive Director of Creating a Family, the national infertility & adoption education and support organization, interviews Dr. Marcy Maguire, a reproductive embryologist at Reproductive Medical Assiociates of New Jersey, and Clinical Assistant Professor of Reproductive Endocrinology at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, about the latest developments in fertility treatment.

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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?