When most people think about in vitro fertilization (IVF), they think of its use as a treatment for infertility. IVF can also be used to treat non-infertility conditions though. A growing space for the use of IVF is to use it as a treatment to reduce or eliminate inherited diseases from a family’s blood line.
Eliminating the risk of passing …
Ever since fertility drugs were used to enhance egg production for IVF there have been rumors that they can increase the risk of ovarian cancer. The poster person for this concept was Gilda Radner who suffered from infertility and then tragically was discovered to have advanced ovarian cancer. Many blamed the fertility drugs she used in attempts to conceive with …
Several studies presented at the recent ASRM annual meeting reviewed data on ART outcomes for BRCA positive patients and the news is positive. Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) allows for the transfer of only those embryos free of the mutation and success rates are comparable to the success rate achieved by patients without the mutation.
In a study in Colorado examining …
Preimplantation genetic diagnosis, known as PGD, has been used in conjunction with IVF for years to avoid having a child with a serious genetic disease such as cystic fibrosis, spinal muscular atropy and Tay-Sachs. Now, as reported in an article in the February 18 edition of the Wall Street Journal, its use is being extended to aviod transferring a …
An article in the Washington Post Angelina Jolie’s difficult decision based on her family history and the fact that she carried the BRCA1 gene highlights the many options for cancer treatment today.
“‘Jolie’s op-ed probably will inspire other women to find out more information and think about their choices, said Eleni Tousimis, chief of breast surgery at Georgetown hospital. There …
