Young healthy eggs are not all that healthy

When preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) was performed on 289 embryos generated from the donor oocytes of healthy women under age 30, chromosomal aneuploidy was found in 42%. That's the conclusion of clinicians at Huntington Reproductive Center in Pasadena, Calif., as presented at this year's ASRM meeting. The proportion of abnormal embryos ranged from 29% to 83%.

Similarly, when a research team from Shady Grove Fertility Reproductive Science Center in Rockville, Md., performed PGD on 159 cleaving embryos generated from healthy oocyte donors (average age 26.6), they found 52% of the embyros were defective for at least one of 10 chromosomes tested. Both studies suggest that PGD should be routinely done in IVF patients, rather than be reserved for women who have traditionally been considered at high risk for aneuploidy.

Nelson JR, Potter DA, Wilcox JG, et al. Preimplantation genetic diagnosis in embryos created from oocytes donation. Fertil Steril. 2005;84(suppl 1):S328.