Oman witnesses first successful Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD)

Dr. Human Fatemi

Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD) has been instrumental in helping couples prevent the risk of having a child with genetic disorders, according to IVI Middle East Fertility Clinic. The fertility center recently reported its first two successful PGD pregnancies in Muscat. “PGD is a technique where medical experts can check the genes in an embryo before pregnancy occurs. Couples who have alterations or mutations in their genes, or who have a risk of having children with genetic disorders, benefit from this screening. PGD is the latest reproductive technological advancement in medical science and is immensely important as it gives possibility to these couples to have healthy children and reduces the burden on the family, the health care system and society as a whole,” said Prof. Dr. Human Fatemi, medical director, IVI Middle East Fertility Clinic.
IVI Middle East Fertility Clinic has made several advances in the reproductive medicine field. The clinic has recently reported two successful pregnancies in Muscat following PGD, which not only highlights the outstanding proficiency of the embryology team, but also demonstrates the adeptness of the clinical team for their sustained effort and commitment to achieving 73 percent successful pregnancy rates.
Until this year, Omani couples traveled abroad to seek PGD. However, with IVI Middle East Fertility Clinic reporting successful pregnancies following PGD, couples have not only found a new hope, but also have access to the world’s best treatment options in the region.
The procedure for PGD test is simple. It includes obtaining eggs from the mother and injecting them with the husband’s sperm. The fertilized eggs are then followed for five or six days until they become embryos, inside the IVF lab. Then a biopsy is performed from the mature embryo when cells are examined to rule out any genetic mutation / alteration. This process takes about ten days. In the meanwhile, the embryos are frozen by a process known as cryopreservation. When the results from the diagnostic process are available, normal embryos without the genetic disorder are transferred into the mother’s uterus.