CT Fertility Introduces Mitochondrial Pre-Implantation Genetic Screening (PGS) as Part of New 2016 Program Lineup
Bridgeport, CT (PRWEB) December 15, 2015 -- CT Fertility, one of the leading fertility centers in the United States, announced a new flexible 2016 program lineup which includes several advanced PGS (pre-implantation genetic screening) add-on options, including Mitochondrial PGS, a new technique which can probe beyond just the embryo's nuclear DNA, with the potential of further increasing success rates, lower the chances of miscarriage and reduce overall treatment costs.
CT Fertility’s diverse IVF, egg donation and surrogacy programs offer prospective parents a choice of single and unlimited cycle options; using an outside donor (often family or friend) or one who is matched and screened by CT Fertility; fresh or frozen eggs of various guaranteed quantities (5, 10 or 15); and even embryos that other families donate. The most popular among them is the Unlimited IVF Programs for egg donation and surrogacy, which include unlimited access to all medical and laboratory fees for as many tries as needed to achieve a successful pregnancy.
In recent years CT Fertility has already moved to offer advanced ‘Next Gen’ DNA sequencing to distinguish chromosomally normal embryos from nonviable and diseased ones. “Previously, decisions regarding which embryos to transfer were either based on crude visual progress assessment, or less evolved PGS techniques that presented undesirable trade-offs,” said Dr. Michael Doyle, the medical director of CT Fertility. “For example, those techniques were associated with some risk of harming the embryos, and the risk of false-positive results that lead to discarding usable embryos,” he said. “Now we can consider those risks insignificant, especially when our highly experienced embryologists are performing the biopsy using technology that allows us to take a sample cell from the shell of the embryo, and not the fetal component.”
With the introduction of Mitochondrial PGS, CT Fertility is one of the first among a small group of pioneering fertility centers to take nuclear DNA PGS to the next step. This state-of-the-art technique is used to evaluate the "other kind of DNA" contained in the embryonic cell’s cytoplasm (not the nucleus) – the mitochondrial DNA, which directs the ability of the embryo to perform critical functions like cell division and implantation. “The prevailing versions of PGS today still provide only a partial picture since even if an embryo has normal nuclear DNA, it is far less likely to continue to grow after the transfer and successfully implant if mitochondrial DNA is not at appropriate levels,” said Dr. Doyle. “This latest generation PGS offers a far more precise analysis of the potential of each embryo than traditional PGS, with no tradeoffs.”
“The key challenge of IVF has always been to create the healthiest embryos possible and to identify the ones that are most likely to develop well and result in a successful pregnancy,” said Dr. Doyle. “We know that even with our highly promising pregnancy rates, there are still inherent uncertainties in the IVF and egg donation process, and we would like to offer our clients the most advanced techniques to mitigate these uncertainties.”
The three optional PGS add-ons include a reduced-fee $3,900 ‘PGS for embryo banking,’ the $4,900 ‘Expedited PGS for fresh transfers,’ and the new ‘Enhanced Mitochondrial PGS’ at a cost of $6,900. These options are meant to offer more cost transparency and control for prospective parents, based on their needs and preferences.
“These announcements are in step with our motto of ‘your family, your way’ – the commitment to give prospective parents more choice and control in creating the family that is right for them, at the lowest possible financial and emotional costs,” said Dr. Doyle. “Not everyone will equally benefit from PGS, and certainly many may choose to forgo the most extensive option. However we think that Enhanced Mitochondrial PGS may be especially beneficial in cases where some of the baseline medical conditions are not optimal, or in the growing number of cases where intended parents are opting to transfer only one embryo at a time. For these parents the combinations of Enhanced Mitochondrial PGS and an unlimited IVF plan can be especially beneficial since pregnancy rates for a single embryo transfer are lower compared to the rates when two embryos are transferred.”
Along the new advanced PGS add-on options, the clinic will continue to provide several of its unique program features. These include the wide availability of fully screened known egg donors, a guarantee for a minimum number of eggs across all applicable options, as well as automatic access to back-up eggs when needed (at no additional cost) —features which CT Fertility is uniquely positioned to offer due to its advanced egg-freezing capabilities.
“I am proud that CT Fertility is one of the few fertility clinics in the world that offers routine simultaneous nuclear and mitochondrial DNA testing as part of its PGS program. We believe that the technology is affording more of our clients an added level of reassurance, choice and control, and reaffirms our proven commitment to increase success without escalating costs.
• For more information on Preimplantation Genetic Screening and Diagnosis (PGS / PGD) please visit: http://www.ctfertility.com/pgd
• For a full list of CT Fertility’s Surrogacy with Egg or Embryo Donation programs see: http://www.ctfertility.com/surrogacy-treatment-plans
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About CT Fertility
Founded by Dr. Michael Doyle, CT Fertility specializes in Reproductive Medicine, Egg Donation and Surrogacy. Since 1991 CT Fertility has created over 5,500 babies for a diverse group of parents from around the world - including clients from over 30 countries, couples and singles, straight and gay, and spanning a wide range of ages. Based in Bridgeport, CT and New York City, and with local representatives and consultants based in London, Barcelona, Stockholm and Tel Aviv, the clinic achieves exceptional results by coordinating every aspect of the medical process, all under one roof, including the finding and pre-screening of highly qualified and immediately available local egg donors.
CT Fertility services include basic fertility testing and treatments, IVF, ICSI, pre-implantation genetic screening and diagnosis (PGS / PGD), egg freezing and banking, and embryo donation. CT Fertility operates one of the oldest and most established IVF laboratories in the USA, with state-of-the-art technology, equipment, protocols, and access to the most currently available genetic technology. Through the early mastery of the vitrification freezing technology and other protocols, CT Fertility has also established one of the largest and most successful Donor Egg Banks in the world.
CT Fertility personalizes the parenting journey by offering a wide range of treatment and egg donation options, taking into account your long-term family vision, ethical, legal and financial considerations, personal relationships and priorities, and coping preferences.
Dr. Michael Doyle, CT Fertility, http://www.ctfertility.com, +1 (203) 373-1200, [email protected]
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