PGS testing advice

[LillyLeaf]

After 2 MC from 2 transfers I'm considering PGS testing the remaining 3 embryos. Has anyone done this? It would mean thawing and refreezing. How long does testing take? Are there any down sides?

My understanding is that re-freezing and then re-thawing for a subsequent transfer has very high rates of attrition. And also considering you may have many abnormal embryos discarded in the process, you may end up destroying all of the frozen embryos you have, both 'cleared' and questionable.

How many embryos do you have for testing? There's also inconclusive evidence that supports pgs. Some studies suggest that previously ruled out embryos can 'correct' themselves and miscarriages can still happen with healthy embryos. Remember they are only testing a very small part of the embryo and it could be a single 'bad' cell that rules out an otherwise fine embryo.

It might be more worthwhile investigating immunity issues etc...

@physicskate thanks for your reply, you've pretty much echoed my thoughts. We have 3 embryos left. Part of me thinks to not test and transfer 2 next time and hope for the best. Another part thinks I might regret not testing if I have another miscarriage because they are beyond horrible to go through and puts me back months. Really not sure what to do. I did have some blood tests after the first MC and everything came back fine.

It's a tough game one. You can't know that the previous miscarriages could have been prevented by pgs. Would you regret testing if a normal embryo doesn't survive the second thaw?

Bear in mind that transferring two doesn't always improve pregnancy rates (weirdly). Twins increase risks too.

I'm sorry I don't have answers. Just more questions. It's shit, it really is.

Have you had level 1 and Level 2 testing (you need to pay for it). It will cost 2-3k including karyotyping (which tests for translocations) but is cheaper than a failed cycle. Try that before you potentially waste good embryos

@Teddybear45 what does level 1 & 2 include? I'll ask about karyotyping in my follow up consultation.

@physicskate yep it's shit. Absolutely get the twin risk. It's all a gamble.

Thyroid (including antibodies), clotting disorders, autoimmune diseases, white cell count, and karyotyping as a minimum. Some clinics may add extras if they think it’s worthwhile testing it - for example I had a test to check for a blood disorder too. Approx 20 tests + karyotyping