PGT-A testing

[AnnBK]

Trying to decide between two fertility clinics at the moment for our IVF. One clinic offers PGT-A testing and the other doesn't.

I'm veering towards wanting the PGT-A testing, I'm 36 and have had two miscarriages and I feel this may ease my anxiety in some way.

Do most people go for it? The clinic which doesn't offer it was very dismissive of it, whereas the other just said it is there as an option if we want it.

Hello! I had the same struggle with deciding whether to do it but in the end was convinced to try because of a chemical. There’s still some doubt in my mind about whether it really works but it turns out I make bad quality embryos and pgta has (probably) saved me a lot of transfers. There’s no right or wrong answer as the science is still developing though. One thing to bear in mind is clinics won’t transfer the aneuploids or retest them which may mean accidentally discarding a viable embryo.

Thanks for replying.

I'm wondering if I have a similar issue, based on my two miscarriages. I have PCOS and one of my ovaries is very polycystic, so I feel my egg quality might not be the best.

The thought of losing viable embryos is a scary thought though, but weighing up the options I feel the testing may be the best route for us

There was a similar thread not long ago so copying my answer from there here in case helpful to you :)

It's a really personal decision I think. It obviously doesn't change the outcome - if it's an euploid and going to stick then it will whether or not you've had it tested (and likewise for aneuploid and not sticking). We have decided to test for the first time this round for the following reasons: 1) we've had two m/cs and one was a missed one at 10 weeks. I don't think I could go through the torture again of having it work, seeing a heartbeat, feeling so happy and then having it ripped from us. I know it's no guarantee but it significantly reduces chances of a miscarriage 2) it saves a bit of time - if we transfer something and have another miscarriage at 10 weeks or later, you're losing months of time especially once you factor in the management and recovery etc. I'd rather just know there weren't any viable embryos and move onto the next steps ASAP rather than lose four months 3) the thought of being pregnant fills me with so much anxiety around miscarriage. I think if I knew any subsequent pregnancy was with an euploid embryo, it would help to alleviate that a little bit (notwithstanding it's not a 100% guarantee) 4) every tww and bfn has been tortuous and I feel like each failure is getting harder to bear. Rather than having potentially multiple failures and the excruciating tww where you can't help but dream that it has worked, I'd rather know in one hit if there's nothing to transfer and have it over with. 5) if we have a transfer with an untested embryo and it results in m/c we'll never really know why and the Drs always just say it was probably chromosomal. If we get no euploid embryos back, at least we will know with certainty that the issues were chromosomal and if we have a m/c with a euploid embryo we'll know that it probably wasn't so it will give us other avenues to think about (immunes etc). So I think it's quite a useful way to get an indication of where things are going wrong for us.
These reasons are very personal to me though and as I say, it doesn't change the outcome in any way overall - it just changes how you get there. The cost is a factor but I decided it was worth it for my sanity. Our clinic told us there was no real risk of false negatives anymore and that they don't even get mosaics anymore as the verdict is clearcut and with what used to class as mosaic, they can now tell if it's a 'good' mosaic or a 'bad' one. I don't know how true that is though!

We are pgta testing our 6 blastocysts

Im 38.5

We have miscarriage history

By doing the testing - whilst not getting rid of the miscarriage risk - we are minimising it

We had our over 2k invoice today

We had already paid the basic fee ( 1385 )

We are very lucky that my partners work cover the cost

Personally I think its very worth doing, for the reasons already outlined above. I had a TFMR for a chromosomal disorder at almost 14 weeks, then a chemical, so we started IVF mainly to be able to do thr testing and at least rule out chromosomal issues from the get go. Also to save time not transferring non viable embryos. My understanding is the technology now is very good so the risk of losing embryos to the testing, or getting a false aneuploid result, is very low

Exactly.

They take cells from the edge to tests

Our top quality blastocysts are still safely at the clinic.

Cells from each have gone elsewhere for testing

These replies have been so helpful. Literally listing everything that has already been playing around in my head and has made my thoughts feel validated.

I feel like I would regret not doing it. If I can minimise any chance of another miscarriage, even if it's just a little bit, it will be worth it.

Have they tested how fast your blood clots ?
If not - get NHS gp to do that & give results to ivf clinic

Also - have you u had your thyroid checked ?
Have u had celiac ruled out ?

Have u had ur gp check your feretin - b12 & vit d ?

Theres a low vit d and miscarriage risk / link - take 1000 iu vit d daily

Hi @AnnBK I had also had miscarriages before so my reasoning for doing pgta was to at least reduce the risk of further miscarriages. Both of my euploid embryos worked and I have a 17 month toddler and a 12 day old newborn, so I fully believe in pgta and my feeling is that it cut out a lot of time, money and heartache that we would have had by transferring aneuploid embryos. I only did two FETs and they both worked. Wishing you the best whatever you choose x