Ensure Your Baby is Free from any Hereditary Disease

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Single gene disorders are genetic conditions caused by the alteration or mutation of a specific gene. They are hereditary and therefore individuals with a family history of a single gene disorder may pass the condition onto their children. Some of the most common single gene disorders include Beta-thalassemia, Sickle Cell Anemia, Spinal muscular atrophy and Metabolic disorders to name a few.

Can a couple pass a genetic disease running in their family onto their children even if they don’t show any symptoms?

A person who is a carrier will look normal and not develop the disease, but may pass it onto their children. To find out if you are a carrier you will need to have a blood test done, where the DNA of the cell is tested.

If one or both parents are carriers, then what are the chances of them conceiving an affected baby?

If both parents are carriers, then each child has a 25% chance of having the disease, a 25% chance of being free of the disease, and a 50% chance of being a carrier. If only one parent is a carrier, then each child has a 50% chance of being a carrier and 50% chance of being free of the disease. This applies to a recessive genetic disease. As for a dominant genetic disease, the chances are higher for the child to become affected.

How can a couple ensure that their child is 100% free of their genetic disorder?

Once a couple decides to have a baby, they should consult a fertility expert and request a test for the specific gene disorder running in their family. The test is called Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD), also known as “embryo screening”. It is the application of genetic testing on a live embryo to determine the presence of a specific gene before placing the embryo in the womb. In order to carry out a PGD test, the couple will have to conceive through an in vitro (IVF) procedure so that the embryos will be assessed in the lab. Only embryos that are completely free from the genetic disease or disorder are selected and transferred to the mother’s womb. By doing this we ensure that no defect or abnormal genes will be passed onto the child.

Is there any possibility that the single gene disorder will reappear in the offspring of those children born through this technique (IVF with PGD)?

Not at all. The child will be completely free of the disorder, and in the future the children of those children will also be free of the same.

Any single gene disorder with a known mutation could be accepted at Fakih IVF for PGD.