help! the lab messed up our PGD results!

[Anonymous]

By the way, 16:01 is incorrect: PGD can be done on day 3 or day 5, with day 5 being preferable as the biopsy is done on the trophtoderm (which becomes the placenta) and not one of the cells from the embryo itself. PGD does analyse all 23 pairs of chromosomes, as does CCS.

Early days of PGD did not have as comprehensive review of the chromosomes, but the technology has advanced to what is standard now.

Best of luck to all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not 15:03, but PGD and CCS are two different ways to test an embryo and your clinic shouldn't use the terms interchangeably. PGD is testing 3-day embryos and has not been shown to improve pregnancy rates in couples who do not have a specific, identified genetic issue. CCS (sometimes called CGH) tests 5-day embryos (and the sample is actually taken from the cells that become the placenta...pretty cool) and the pregnancy rates are significantly higher and miscarriage rates are significantly lower.

This isn't accurate. PGD is an acronym for pre-implantation genetic diagnosis. The original technique for pre-implantation genetic diagnosis involved day 3 biopsy and only tested a handful of chromosomes. The PGD technology has now advanced so that the biopsies are done on troph cells on day 5 and all chromosomes can be tested. The term CCS is an acronym for comprehensive chromosomal screening, which is a descriptive term coined by CCRM and later adopted by a few other clinics. There are many different ways to perform CCS, and at different times in the past four years, CCRM has used CGH, microarray, and real time PCR. All of these technologies are diagnostic in that they look at genetic matter amplified from actual cells rather than looking at soft markers, but because the tests are still experimental and imperfect, and because the one or two troph cells biopsied may in a small percentage of cases differ from the majority of embryonic cells (mosaicism), clinics often refer to the technology as a screening test.

[Anonymous]

OP, what makes you think the problem was one of the chemicals? Usually when PGD fails to generate a result, it is because the DNA could not be amplified. It's my understanding that there have been studies on this, but no real consensus as to why it happens.

[Anonymous]

3:46, The lab told us the problem was with one of the chemicals. It wasn't just a failure to generate results, but rather, an inability to conduct the test. Anyway, we decided on the re-biopsy. Not too happy about it, but that's life. OP

[Anonymous]

Oh my, I thought we were the only ones this happened to. The lab possibly screwed up our PGD results. All 8 day 5 embryos came back blank with no results. My heart is broken. HELP!!!!!!!!!

[Anonymous]

8:47, this is the OP--I'm so sorry this happened to you!! I really thought ours was a unique situation!

Here is the thinking that we went through. The options if this happens are: (1) do a re-biopsy, (2) throw several of them in there without PGD and hope one takes, (3) do sequential single embryo transfers without PGD.

Which is right for you is going to depend on your age, your tolerance for multiples, your tolerance for miscarriage/early termination, and your willingness to risk the re-biopsy. I guess it also depends on the reason why you got no results. For us, it was a weird situation where one of the chemicals was faulty, which would be extremely unlikely to happen again. Did they say why there were no results?

I have the sense that most people would just go for option (2) in this situation, but we were very clear that we did not want the risk of multiples. We also ruled out option (3) as just too traumatic. Our clinic told us that their stats were that 90% of embryos survive the thaw. I also reasoned that if an embryo does not survive the thaw, that is not exactly the fault of the lab screw-up--that embryo would have not survived the thaw anyway, eventually. (The screw-up would only matter if we end up refreezing them, and then needing to thaw them a second time.) So we went for option (1).

Don't hesitate to ask if you have any questions at all! I remember how comforting it was to read 21:43's story above, and just to read the support. (Strange how brief support from anonymous strangers can nevertheless feel so comforting during times like these.) My very best wishes to you.

[Anonymous]

Dear OP, I know this thread was from a while ago. I am looking for hope. I wondered how things progressed for you with the rebiopsy / transfer. Were they able to rebiopsy and transfer and was the outcome successful for you. Until stumbled on this post My hub and I thought we too were alone. Our 2 that made it to testing didn't amplify properly and received no result. At my clinic they test day 5/6 then freeze with results avail several weeks later. They can't retest with 24 hr turnaround as your clinic appears to do. We could either rebiopsy - freeze - test and wait on results but have the same concerns mentioned re surviving another thaw prior to transfer if all was good. Other option we have asked to consider is rebiopsy then immediately transfer knowing we wouldn't know results until a few weeks after transfer. We would have to prepare for best case and worst case in that instance.
All decisions are hard ones at the moment. Thk you for anytime you can spare. ST