Ep. 5 | Can Preimplantation Genetic Screening Save Your Child From Disease?

Fertility Health Podcast

Reproductive medicine has advanced dramatically and often presents couples with complex choices that can only be made on an individual basis. Preimplantation genetic screening or testing (PGS) is a powerful technology employed before implantation to help identify genetic defects within embryos. However, the process is extremely sophisticated and complex, therefore requiring a tremendous amount of experience and skill on the part of the reproductive endocrinologist. The procedure also comes with potential ethical concerns regarding the existing limits of the test.

In this episode, Serena Chen, M.D., director for the division of reproductive medicine in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Saint Barnabas Medical Center and a clinical associate professor at Rutgers, UMDNJ Medical School, joins host Mark P. Trolice, M.D., to share her insights on the potential benefits and limitations of preimplantation genetic testing.

Tune in to discover

• The history of preimplantation genetic screening (PGS) and its evolution until today
• The limits of PGS and the controversy surrounding an embryo’s ability to self-correct
• The potential risks inherent in the PGS procedure
• What mosaic embryos are and why they are dividing IVF experts
• Who might benefit the most from preimplantation genetic testing

About Serena H. Chen, M.D.

Serena H. Chen, M.D. graduated from Brown University in Providence Rhode Island. She attended Duke University School of Medicine in Durham, North Carolina, and then trained in Gynecology and Obstetrics and Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. After completion of her fellowship, she served as an Assistant Professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, as well as an Attending at the Johns Hopkins Hospital and Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center.
Dr. Chen serves as Director for the Division of Reproductive Medicine in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Saint Barnabas Medical Center, and the Institute for Reproductive Medicine and Science at Saint Barnabas, and is a Clinical Associate Professor at Rutgers, UMDNJ Medical School and the St George’s University School of Medicine.

Dr. Chen has published multiple papers and has been the recipient of scientific grants, including the prestigious Stetler Research Grant and the Johns Hopkins Institutional Research Grant. She also has received an award for achievement in laparoscopic surgery from the Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons. Dr. Chen has served as a reviewer for scientific journals such as Fertility and Sterility, the European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, and Reproductive BioMedicine Online. She works actively with patient advocacy groups such as INCIID, RESOLVE and the American Fertility Association, serving on the Physician Advisory Boards, writing patient articles, hosting online chats, serving as a Web Angel on the AFA and IRMS message boards and speaking at many patient education seminars. In 2005, the AFA recognized these efforts with a Family Building Award.

About Mark P. Trolice, M.D.

Mark P. Trolice, M.D., FACOG, FACS, FACE is Director of Fertility CARE: The IVF Center in Winter Park, Florida and Associate Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology (OB/GYN) at the University of Central Florida College of Medicine in Orlando responsible for the medical education of OB/GYN residents and medical students as well as Medical Endocrinology fellows. He is past President of the Florida Society of Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility (REI) and past Division Director of REI at Winnie Palmer Hospital, part of Orlando Health.

He is double Board-certified in REI and OB/GYN, maintains annual recertification