Risk of genetic diseases in IVF
In vitro fertilization (IVF) refers to the process of transferring the fertilized egg into the mother's uterus to develop into an embryo, and then continue to develop into a baby. Although IVF technology has made remarkable achievements in solving some infertility problems, some people are worried about the risk of IVF suffering from genetic diseases. This article will elaborate on the risk of IVF suffering from genetic diseases from four aspects: embryo selection, genetic counseling, laboratory environment and prevention of genetic diseases.
Embryonic selection
Embryo selection is an important means for IVF to reduce the risk of genetic diseases. In IVF technology, doctors will obtain multiple fertilized eggs and culture them, and then conduct embryonic biology tests after they develop to a certain extent. These tests can detect whether the embryo has chromosome abnormalities and some common single gene diseases. If there are chromosome abnormalities or embryos carrying obvious pathogenic mutations, they can be excluded to reduce the risk of genetic diseases.
However, embryo selection also has some limitations. First, some diseases may not have clear pathogenic mutations, and different diseases may have multiple pathogenic genes. Secondly, due to the limitations of embryo biological testing, the risk of genetic diseases in embryos cannot be completely excluded. Therefore, embryo selection cannot completely eliminate the risk of genetic diseases in IVF.
Genetic counseling
In the process of IVF, genetic counseling is very important. The genetic counselor will conduct a detailed survey of the family history of both spouses and assess the risk of genetic diseases. According to family history and genetic counseling results, doctors can give prevention or treatment suggestions to newborns to reduce the risk of disease.
Genetic counseling can also provide some basic knowledge of common genetic diseases, so that couples can better understand the possible risks and make wise decisions. Genetic counselors can also explain the process of embryo selection and possible risks to both spouses to help them make decisions.
Laboratory environment
IVF babies are fertilized and cultivated in the laboratory, and the quality of the laboratory environment plays a key role in controlling the risk of genetic diseases. The laboratory must have strict operating specifications to ensure the quality of fertilized eggs and the development of normal embryos. At the same time, the laboratory should conduct quality control and quality assessment regularly to ensure the accuracy and reliability in the operation process.
In addition, the laboratory environment also needs to pay attention to the cross contamination of genetic material. Cross contamination of genetic material will lead to errors in the results of gene testing, which will affect embryo selection and the judgment of genetic disease risk. Therefore, the laboratory must have a strict material management system to reduce the risk of cross contamination.
Prevention of genetic diseases
In addition to the aforementioned embryo selection and genetic counseling, the risk of IVF suffering from genetic diseases can also be prevented by other means. For example, if both husband and wife carry the same risk gene of pathogenic mutation, gene editing or gene repair can be carried out before embryo transfer to repair the gene mutation of the embryo. This gene editing technology is still in its infancy, but its prospects are very broad.
In addition, some genetic diseases can be diagnosed by genetic diagnosis before artificial insemination to screen whether embryos carry specific gene mutations. If there are high-risk embryos, you can choose not to carry out embryo transfer, so as to avoid the risk of genetic diseases.
Summary
Although the risk of IVF suffering from genetic diseases can not be completely eliminated, the risk can be effectively reduced by means of embryo selection, genetic counseling, laboratory environment control and genetic disease prevention. The continuous development of IVF technology also provides more possibilities to solve the problem of genetic diseases. In the future, with the progress of medical technology, we have reason to believe that the risk of IVF suffering from genetic diseases will be further reduced.
