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Genetic screening
- Question
- We have a five year old daughter with CF. 3 years ago my wife got pregnant but she had an abortion because the fetus was diagnosed with CF. Which procedure should we follow in order to have a child without CF?
- Answer
- Dear friend,
You and your wife are carriers of the CF gene. In each and every pregnancy there is a 25% probability that the baby will have CF.
With the method of the preimplantion genetic diagnosis it is possible to rule out the possibility of CF before the actual gestation of the fetus commences. However, the necessary first step is an in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedure, where at the stage of the 16 cell zygote one cell is extracted and genenetically tested for the CF mutations. When the disease is not detected the implantation procedure takes place and the pregnancy commences.
Yours friendly,
Dr. Anna Katelari-Ioannidou
- 19.10.2009
- 19.10.09 As this is a European forum, it has to be mentioned, that the procedure of preimplantation genetic diagnosis as it is described above in the questions from Greece, is forbidden in some European countries, such as Germany, for example. Therefore, inhabitants of other European countries interested in this method have to find out, it it is legal in their home country and who covers the costs if they decide to go abroad to have this measure done.
D. d'Alquen
