Health Watch | Health Check for Embryos | ABC30 Fresno

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By ABC30

Monday, August 10, 2009

ENCINO, Calif. (Ivanhoe Newswire) Mary Johnson is the mother of a healthy 3-year-old with no history of fertility problems, but when she and husband Roy decided to try for baby number two, they chose the in-vitro route. They want a healthy baby, and they're convinced a new gene chip test is their best bet.

Embryos, at just eight cells, can now be screened using chips called microarrays. Each chip is layered with DNA fragments. They're scanned for thousands of specific genetic defects all at once.

"We try to hone in on the most common disorders that we see in healthy couples," Jeffrey Steinberg, M.D., Medical Director of the Fertility Institutes in Encino, Calif., told Ivanhoe.

Dr. Steinberg says the test looks for genetic causes of Down's syndrome and the risks of prostate, breast and colon cancers. But experts caution: DNA doesn't determine everything.

"If you do a DNA test on someone to predict their risk of heart disease, you're really only looking at a part of the picture," Marta Gwinn, Ph.D., Associate Director of Epidemiology at the National Office of Public Health Genomics in Washington, D.C., told Ivanhoe. "You're really only looking at what they came with, the hand they were dealt."

At 39, Mary -- and 55-year-old Roy -- know age is a risk factor, but they also want to avoid passing along a family history of cancer and heart disease.

"Growing up and later discovering you had a genetic disposition passed on from family members, if you can eliminate that and save yourself and your family members so much pain, I think that this is amazing," Mary told Ivanhoe.

At about $20,000 a couple, this isn't for everybody. But for Mary and Roy, if it means the chance of a healthy sibling for 3-year-old Ava, it's worth it.

While it's possible to test for some adult-onset diseases as well as eye color, Dr. Steinberg says it's best for couples who have a known family disorder that's genetic in nature or someone with a history of miscarriage.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
The Fertility Institutes
Encino, CA
(818) 728-4600
director@fertility-docs.com