When patients elect PGT, they are treated with fertility medication in hopes of creating 6 to 30 eggs in their own ovaries. Eggs are harvested through a minor surgery before being transferred to a test tube for fertilization. The magic happens in the laboratory during the five to six days where the embryos (fertilized eggs) are grown to the blastocyst stage (150 cell embryos).
Six to eight cells are collected from the embryo by using a laser. The collected cells are sent to a special lab where their DNA is analyzed for genetic soundness and the sex of the embryo is determined.
Pregnancy may be accomplished more quickly when selecting an embryo through PGT rather than transferring untested embryos. PGT allows for a single embryo to be transferred non-surgically which improves the safety of the pregnancy and reduces the number of twins.
Families hoping to select the gender of their baby can do so with a high degree of accuracy with PGT methods.
Pregnancy success rates can be as high as 70% when transferred embryos have been screened for genetic optimization. A single IVF treatment cycle, coupled with PGT, costs much less than two rounds of IVF without screening tools.
Studies suggest a 95% success rate of correct gender selection when using IVF with preimplantation genetic selection. This makes PGT the single most effective method at sex selection.
Compared to PGT, other gender selection methods, such as sperm centrifugation for the Erickson Technique, are much less effective. Few reproductive specialists provide these services as experts suggest the desired sex is only chosen 65% of the time.
Traditionally, PGT gender testing was out of reach for many couples with costs ranging from $4,000 to $6,000 per procedure. Through an arrangement with an advanced genetics laboratory, we are now able to attempt gender selection at an affordable rate of $400 per embryo.
Please schedule a consultation with us today if you are interested in learning more about your genetic testing options.