Dr. Werlin's Fertility World

Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis was developed to help couples screen their embryos for genetic diseases like Cystic Fibrosis, Huntington’s Disease and, in the case of one patient, Hemophilia. In addition to genetic counseling, PGD offers an option to parents concerned with reducing the likelihood of passing along a hereditary disease.

This article was intended to offer an alternative look to diagnosis the disease before it becomes a factor. Below is an excerpt from an article I wrote on this couple’s touching story.

PGD Eliminates Threat of Hemophilia in Newborn Babies
-PGD Treatment removes hemophilia from family bloodline-

Carriers of hemophilia, a serious blood-coagulation disorder affecting more than 20,000 Americans; can draw hope of eliminating the condition’s prevalence in subsequent generations from an advanced reproductive medical technique known as Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD).

Under the medical supervision of a specialist in reproductive endocrinology and infertility, couples are enabled to screen their embryos for the disease – which has an incidence rate of 400 babies per annum – and thereby remove the risk of giving birth to a child with hemophilia. For Michelle Rappaport, a hemophilia carrier who grew up watching her father suffer from the effects of the disease, PGD offered a way to remove its life-threatening affects from her family tree as well as future generations.

For the full story, please see:
http://www.huliq.com/16289/pgd-eliminates-threat-of-hemophilia-in-newborn-babies

Source of statistics: The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)