Now that we actually knew what we were supposed to talk to the genetics testing company about, Nick and I scheduled another genetic consult. This one made so much more sense than our first consult, and the conversation was pretty helpful.
Read more: PGT What Now?Essentially, we needed to learn more about the different testing options, should we get any embryos from our next IVF cycle.
The two options available to us are PGT-A, the same testing done on the embryos from our first cycle, and PGT-SR, a more in-depth test that can tell us more about if the embryos have balanced translocations, like Nick.
In cases like ours, our clinic recommends couples pursue the higher level of PGT-SR testing.
I was certainly ready to learn the advantages of one over the other, and what it really boiled down to is knowing about a translocation vs. not knowing. PGT-A would still tell us if we had viable embryos. What it can’t tell us is if those viable embryos have a normal karyotype or an abnormal karyotype, like Nick.
The geneticist shared that with both of Nick’s translocations, the pieces (or in one case, whole chromosome) of chromosomes we’re concerned about are large enough that PGT-A would detect an abnormality resulting from his translocations.
We discussed that while PGT-SR could tell us if an embryo inherited a translocation, that would be the only benefit. Both tests have the incredibly small potential (<1.5%) of telling us an embryo is viable when it really isn’t.
As with most things that are a “more in-depth” version of something else, PGT-SR is more expensive than PGT-A, though I’m not sure how much more. A certain number of PGT-A tests are included in our IVF package.
Because of that and because both tests can tell us if we have viable embryos, we decided to stick with the PGT-A testing. If we’re lucky enough to have kids, we’ll tell them–when they’re old enough–about the potential for chromosomal abnormalities and recommend they test prior to starting their own families.
I wrote to Dr. C. about our decision, and she asked to review our report from the consult. As I mentioned above, the clinic typically recommends PGT-SR testing in cases like ours, so she wanted to make sure using PGT-A only wouldn’t be a problem.
I sent her our summary report, and she was able to confirm those findings with another geneticist. She adjusted the notes for our cycle so we can proceed without the additional testing.
We’re hoping to get the process started in the next couple of weeks.
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