Addressing Ethical Issues Related to Prenatal Diagnostic Procedures

Background: For women of advanced maternal age or couples with high risk of genetic mutations, the ability to screen for embryos free of certain genetic mutations is reassuring, as it provides opportunity to address age-related decline in fertility through preimplantation genetic testing. This procedure has potential to facilitate better embryo selection, improve implantation rates with single embryo transfer and reduce miscarriage rates, among others, yet confers some risk to the embryo and additional costs of assisted reproductive technology. This raises questions whether, when and which patients should receive routine PGT-A prior to embryo transfer.

Discussion: Prenatal diagnostic procedures refer to tests done when one or both genetic parents has a known genetic disorder (or has worries about the disorder) and testing is performed on them, their gametes or on the embryos to determine if the latter is likely to carry a genetic disorder. PGT is used to identify genetic defects in gametes or embryos (often created through in vitro fertilization (IVF). The procedures generate immense potential to improve health and wellbeing by preventing conception or birth of babies with undesirable traits, life-limiting conditions and even lethal conditions. However, they generate a lot of information, which often may challenge decision-making ability of healthcare providers and parents, and raise ethical challenges.

Conclusion: Prenatal diagnostic procedures have potential to address uncertainty and risk of having a child affected with a genetic disease. They, however, often raise own uncertainty and controversies, whose origin, manifestation and related ethical issues are presented. There is need to develop individual and couple decision support tools that incorporate patients' values and concerns in the decision-making process in order to promote more informed decisions, during counseling.