Is PGD necessary for donor egg IVF?

[Mmmpudding]

I am going to use donor eggs abroad as soon as lockdown is over. Should I opt for PGD? If we decide to have PGD done, do we still need to do Harmony/Panorama tests at 11 weeks to test for chromosomal problems?

With a DE cycle, are there any “extras” that we should consider such as Embryoscope? Or are these extras usually a waste of money?

I am pretty sure that we will go to North Cyprus, any tips for our trip? Thank you everyone 😊😘

[KiboXX]

Hi mmmpudding,

PGD is to check for a specific genetic issue which is normally just used when you’re a known carrier for a condition so I’m guessing you mean PGS/PGT-A? That where it looks for extra or missing chromosomes. I had this done on my last round of IVF as had been through a mc and two more failed rounds. For me it gave me piece of mind that the embryos we had were capable of making a baby so it was completely worth it.

With donor eggs, I guess it depends on the age of the donor, if they are young then the likelihood of chromosomal issues are low so I don’t know if it’s worth it but I would suggest having a conversation with your clinic about it once you have one.

My first PGS transfer was successful and I decided not to do a harmony test. My NHS screening came back low risk and that coupled with the PGS made me feel secure that the baby was healthy.

I would definitely recommend embryoscope. In my experience, our embryos have always developed better in that undisturbed environment. Good clinics should offer it as standard but even if it is an add on, it shouldn’t be a huge extra cost xx

[Mmmpudding in reply to KiboXX]

Hello thanks for responding. I won’t do pgs as it takes too long for the results to come back. I thought Pgd can screen for Down’s syndrome and Edwards syndrome etc? If so then maybe I won’t need harmony or panorama tests later on in the pregnancy? I’m hopefully using the eggs of a donor who is in her 20s. I love the idea of Embryoscope but one of the clinics I spoke to said the cameras can damage the dna of the embryos so they don’t recommend it unless I have had multiple ivf failures or miscarriage which I don’t. There are so much conflicting information out there 😅

[KiboXX in reply to Mmmpudding]

PGD and PGS use the same biopsy procedure so they both require freezing the embryos whilst you wait for the results. PGS is what you would use to minimise the risk or downs etc as they are chromosome abnormalities. You would use PGD if you were a known carrier for a condition such as cystic fibrosis as it checks for a specific condition.

The chances of a donor in her 20’s having chromosome issues with her eggs are very low so I don’t know that it would be worth it.

Honestly not sure why a clinic told you that about using an embryoscope! That would make me discount them from my list straight away as there is no evidence of that. It’s the nearest to natural environment they can be in as they are completely undisturbed once fertilised rather than being removed from the incubator every day. From experience, we only ever got a good amount of day 5 embryos with this so I definitely think it makes a significant difference.

I know it’s hard with so much information out there, this place is great for getting real experiences from people but I would also say, a great clinic will be able to what is worth while xx

[Mmmpudding in reply to KiboXX]

Thank you so much for the information. All of the Cyprus clinics say Pgd takes 1-2 days for the results to come back (cell taken from a day 3 embryo) where as pgs will take 2 months.

It’s so confusing but you had it done so I believe you know it better than most patient coordinator 😅😁

[KiboXX in reply to Mmmpudding]

That’s weird, PGS normally takes 1-2 weeks, it shouldn’t take 2 months! Personally I wouldn’t have a day 3 embryo biopsied, just because by day 5 they can take it from the part that becomes the placenta and I don’t think that’s possible on day 3? So I would worry about damaging the embryo. But I also completely understand wanting to transfer the same cycle and not waiting!

The risk of a chromosome abnormality in your 20’s is so low though, 1 in 500, you can see the stats by age here (embryology.med.unsw.edu.au/... that’s a 0.2% risk, so low! They really recommend PGS when you’re late thirties or forties or had repeated failures. I’m 34 and all of mine came back normal xx

[Mmmpudding in reply to KiboXX]

I think I am just going to so straight donor ivf and skip all the testing. As you said the chances of any abnormalities are quite low for a young donor. Thanks again for all your help xx

[KiboXX in reply to Mmmpudding]

No problem! Good luck with your journey xx

[Missy_22]

We did pgd testing in North cyprus on our donor egg round and wished we had done it the year before to be honest. Well worth the extra money. From our 12 fertilised eggs it took four away that could of been out back that would of ended in miscarriage.

We didn’t have the scratch or anything else as not recommended by our clinic.

Good luck

[Mmmpudding in reply to Missy_22]

Hi thanks for the information, did they do the Pgd on day 3? What did they screen for? And how much did it cost you? Xx