For families with autosomal-dominant neurological conditions, the fear of passing on the disease to their children looms large. Now, people at this highest genetic risk can ensure that they have healthy children by undergoing in vitro fertilization followed by genetic testing of embryos prior to implantation. Called preimplantation genetic diagnosis, the procedure remains rarely used, largely because few people know about it, and even fewer realize they can use it simply if they are at risk, and without having to find out their own genetic status. But even once the decision is made, couples who opt for PGD face obstacles such as high cost and invasive procedures.
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Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis: A Family Choice
Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis Can Stop Inherited Disease in a Family
In 1998, Jennifer Leyton’s mother was dying of Huntington’s disease, an incurable neurologic disorder that robs people of movement and thought. Because the huntingtin mutation is autosomal-dominant, Leyton knew she had a 50 percent cha...
Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis: It’s No Walk in the Park
When people learn that they carry a gene for a fatal neurological disorder, they fear not just for themselves, but for their children who might inherit the same condition. Some vow never to have biological children. This was the case for Amanda Ka...