Is PGS a sham?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My first cycle I only had one embryo make it to day 5. We did not PGS test it and it did not implant. Second cycle we had 7 make it to day 5 and did test. Had two normals. Implanted both(39 years old) and resulted in twins.

What did you do differently between your two cycles?

[Anonymous]

It's not a scam, but not a fool proof anything either.

I had a miscarriage at 11 weeks -the baby had Trisomy21 (Downs). It was very hard emotionally, after having seen the heartbeat multiple times and having gone through 5 unsuccessful cycles before (cycles with stims, not FETs). Our marriage suffered. We moved on to DE, and despite having a young proven donor, I paid to test all of the resulting embryos. Because minimizing the chances of the same nightmare again was worth it to me.

Having said that, I spoke with an embryologist once, and she said the science does not know everything yet, there are some studies that show that some embryos can self-repair, or that abnormal cells on the outer shell where biopsy is taken, do not necessarily indicate abnormality of the embryo in every single case, etc.

You make your own decisions, based on the current knowledge, your resources and your tolerance for risks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:With my coverage (ACA/ MD health exchange) I had up to 3 transfers and was certain I only wanted single embryo transfers (I have a few friends who had really difficult twin pregnancies.) I did 2 retrievals with about 8 eggs each time and 7 total making it to day 5 for PGS testing. My first batch had 3 "excellent" (or should I say egg-cellent!) embryos by all the old school standards. PGS showed they were all had chromosomal abnormalities-- I forget the exact issues but they were very common, severe, and would have most definitely resulted in miscarriages if they even implanted! I was heartbroken but so grateful we did PGS testing! The 4 tested in the subsequent batch resulted in 2 normals embryos , one that is an adorable 11 month old. (Hopeful sibling in the freezer for later.) All that being said, my sister went through the same process and never had embryos that made it to testing and opted for fresh transfers...sometimes it isn't even an option. I am very grateful it was an option for us. Good luck!

Did your sister have any luck with the fresh transfers? How many cycles did she go through before deciding to try fresh transfers? Do you mind sharing your ages?

Yes, my sister had 3 pregnancies; 2 live births from fresh transfers!! I believe she was 36/37 and 39 when she gave birth, and transferred 1-2 embryos each time. I believe she only transferred these 3 times and only had the option for fresh because her embryos were "not looking good" on day 2 or 3 so PGS (her original plan) was not an option for her as both of our clinics only did PGS on 5-day blastocysts.

My retrievals were at age 38; my first FET worked and I gave birth a month after turning 39. (I began seeking fertility treatments after trying for several year-- casual trying, using OPKs, just relaxing (ugh!), and then did climid with ob/gyn (wasn't monitored!!! and was later told it wasn't even a high enough dose to do anything), then 5 IUIs with climid, 2 IUIs with Letrozole (paid 1 IUI out of pocket; 6 were covered), then 2 IVF retrievals and 1 FET. Everyone is different and the protocol will depend on what you need but my only regret is that I didn't seek IVF sooner and I have zero regrets for paying "extra" for ICSI and PGS, as I truly believe that is what made my pregnancy a success.

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:With my coverage (ACA/ MD health exchange) I had up to 3 transfers and was certain I only wanted single embryo transfers (I have a few friends who had really difficult twin pregnancies.) I did 2 retrievals with about 8 eggs each time and 7 total making it to day 5 for PGS testing. My first batch had 3 "excellent" (or should I say egg-cellent!) embryos by all the old school standards. PGS showed they were all had chromosomal abnormalities-- I forget the exact issues but they were very common, severe, and would have most definitely resulted in miscarriages if they even implanted! I was heartbroken but so grateful we did PGS testing! The 4 tested in the subsequent batch resulted in 2 normals embryos , one that is an adorable 11 month old. (Hopeful sibling in the freezer for later.) All that being said, my sister went through the same process and never had embryos that made it to testing and opted for fresh transfers...sometimes it isn't even an option. I am very grateful it was an option for us. Good luck!

how did it turn out for your sister?

I answered above as well-- she had to do fresh only at day 2 or 3. As far as I know, she did 3 transfers that resulted in one miscarriage and 2 live births. Good luck! I am grateful that I was able to access PGS but sometimes it isn't even an option so I think it's important for people to keep that in mind. I remember wondering what I would do with all my extra embryos since my ovarian reserve looked so lush (face palm!)

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My first cycle I only had one embryo make it to day 5. We did not PGS test it and it did not implant. Second cycle we had 7 make it to day 5 and did test. Had two normals. Implanted both(39 years old) and resulted in twins.

What did you do differently between your two cycles?

It sounds like the major difference (at least in live birth) was the PGS testing.

[Anonymous]

I asked a similar question years ago and was practically crucified.

Anyway we did PGS and glad we did. The question you should ask is, “if money were no object, would I do it?” If the answer is yes, then do it.

Daycare is 24k plus a year in DC. PGS is what, 5-7k? It’s a drop in the bucket.

[Anonymous]

I am AMA; I started IVF at 39 in the Fall of 2016 in DC. My doctor was very pro PGS testing. I got a some PGS normals that didnt take and others that were discarded. The liked PGS bc they could do ESET and minimize chances of twins. After 3 retrievals with no success (two with embryos to transfer and 1 with all PGS abnormal) I switched to Penn in Philadelphia bc its way cheaper than DC.

My Penn doctor said PGS testing might not be helping me bc of the risk of damaging the embryo and abnormals that may correct. They are much more willing to put in more than one blast (ie less twin adverse).

Turns out an ERA showed I was pre-receptive so now I am waiting to transfer my last blasts before moving to DE.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My first cycle I only had one embryo make it to day 5. We did not PGS test it and it did not implant. Second cycle we had 7 make it to day 5 and did test. Had two normals. Implanted both(39 years old) and resulted in twins.

What did you do differently between your two cycles?

It sounds like the major difference (at least in live birth) was the PGS testing.

I posted this originally. Nothing different between the two cycles. Just goes to show you even with all the modern medicine I still believe a little luck is involved.

[Anonymous]

OP do more research:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30316435

[Anonymous]

Interesting article, it makes sense not to pay for FET after FET when PGS can give valuable info.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I asked a similar question years ago and was practically crucified.

Anyway we did PGS and glad we did. The question you should ask is, “if money were no object, would I do it?” If the answer is yes, then do it.

Daycare is 24k plus a year in DC. PGS is what, 5-7k? It’s a drop in the bucket.

this is so helpful and true. if money was no object i'd definitely do PGS+ ERA

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I asked a similar question years ago and was practically crucified.

Anyway we did PGS and glad we did. The question you should ask is, “if money were no object, would I do it?” If the answer is yes, then do it.

Daycare is 24k plus a year in DC. PGS is what, 5-7k? It’s a drop in the bucket.

why are you glad you did?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I asked a similar question years ago and was practically crucified.

Anyway we did PGS and glad we did. The question you should ask is, “if money were no object, would I do it?” If the answer is yes, then do it.

Daycare is 24k plus a year in DC. PGS is what, 5-7k? It’s a drop in the bucket.

why are you glad you did?

Because I didn’t waste time and money transferring an abnormal embryo into my uterus.

And when I found out I was pregnant, I was less concerned about miscarrying since I knew it was PGS normal

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I asked a similar question years ago and was practically crucified.

Anyway we did PGS and glad we did. The question you should ask is, “if money were no object, would I do it?” If the answer is yes, then do it.

Daycare is 24k plus a year in DC. PGS is what, 5-7k? It’s a drop in the bucket.

why are you glad you did?

Because I didn’t waste time and money transferring an abnormal embryo into my uterus.

And when I found out I was pregnant, I was less concerned about miscarrying since I knew it was PGS normal

Were you ultimately successful with a PGS normal embryo on the first try? How many rounds did it take to get one?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I asked a similar question years ago and was practically crucified.

Anyway we did PGS and glad we did. The question you should ask is, “if money were no object, would I do it?” If the answer is yes, then do it.

Daycare is 24k plus a year in DC. PGS is what, 5-7k? It’s a drop in the bucket.

why are you glad you did?

NP: because it helps you avoid miscarriage if an abnormal manages to implant.