Reducing Risks of Chromosomal Abnormalities
I first heard about CCS at the ORM Free Education Seminar and had no idea that the embryos themselves could be tested. I thought you had to wait until pregnancy.
I choose CCS because of my age (41) and statistics; I knew the possibility of my eggs having chromosome abnormalities was higher. I felt testing was the responsible thing to do and a decision that could increase my chances of having a healthy baby.
The IVF process is difficult for any couple. For us, honestly, it was a little less stressful because we already have a little girl. We were not facing the possibility of not having children of our own. Both of us had hoped for two kids and we really wanted to give our daughter a sibling. After our first round of IVF was unsuccessful because none of my eggs survived the transfer it was an extremely disappointing, both physically (I hate needles) and emotionally.
We were then given an option of using donor egg, but we decided to try one more time with mine. This time two of my eggs fertilized. I remember the moment I received the results of the CCS testing, I was sitting in my car, parked, after dropping my daughter off at daycare. When I answered the call I was overjoyed to learn that one of my two eggs tested normal. The CCS testing gave us hope that our attempt at pregnancy might work… and it did!
The results from the CCS testing showed us that of my two eggs one was chromosomally abnormal and one was normal. This information helped us to choose the best egg for my transfer. I believe that this decision would have been more unsettling and possibly more risky without the help of CCS. Our egg that was tested to reveal a significant chromosomal abnormality had a visual rating of B. Since that’s not a low rating, this egg could have been chosen for transfer if we had not received the results from CCS testing.
“I would definitely recommend CCS to patients who are in their late 30s to early 40s because the risk for chromosomal abnormalities increases during these later years of child-bearing. If there are several eggs available, it can help make decisions about which one(s) to use.”
Our son is now one-year old and is amazingly sweet, smart and happy! He’s brought so much joy to our family and is a fun playmate for his older sister. The CCS testing gave us peace of mind that all of the efforts, medications, stress and money that comes with the IVF procedure can result in a thriving child without chromosomal complications. Although it’s not possible to completely relax until your child is born, we knew we had made the best choice at giving our son a chance at life. We also didn’t have to do any additional testing during our pregnancy (i.e. CVS, Amnio)