PGT-A Testing in India: Cost, Accuracy, and Who Actually Needs It

Testing several embryos can potentially identify one or more embryos classified as euploid, allowing the clinical team to prioritize transfers.

But there is an important catch.

If a patient produces only one or two embryos, testing may result in no embryo being available for transfer after the results are obtained.

5. Individualized cases

Some patients may have specific reproductive histories that lead their fertility specialist to recommend genetic testing.

The decision should be based on the patient's age, ovarian reserve, number and quality of embryos, previous IVF outcomes, miscarriage history and genetic background.

Who May Not Need PGT-A?

For a young patient with a good prognosis, no recurrent pregnancy loss, no repeated implantation failure and a reasonable number of good-quality embryos, the benefit of routine PGT-A may be less clear.

ASRM specifically notes that recent randomized trials have not demonstrated a universal improvement in pregnancy outcomes with PGT-A.

This does not mean PGT-A is useless.

It means that PGT-A should be used selectively rather than automatically added to every IVF cycle.

Does PGT-A Improve IVF Success Rates?

This is another area where marketing claims can become misleading.

PGT-A can improve the chance that a particular embryo selected for transfer is classified as euploid. But that does not necessarily mean that testing every embryo increases the overall chance of having a baby from the entire IVF cycle.

ASRM's review of randomized trials found that overall outcomes were similar between PGT-A and conventional embryo selection in important study populations. In the STAR trial, for example, ongoing pregnancy outcomes were not significantly different between the PGT-A and control groups when analyzed per embryo transfer or by intention to treat.

The distinction is important:

Better embryo selection does not automatically equal a higher cumulative live birth rate.

What Happens If All Embryos Are Abnormal?

This is one of the most important questions to ask before paying for PGT-A.

Suppose five embryos are tested and none are classified as euploid.

The patient may then face several possibilities:

• Another IVF cycle
• Reviewing whether an embryo classified as mosaic could be considered
• Considering donor eggs or sperm in appropriate circumstances
• Further genetic counselling
• Re-evaluating the overall fertility strategy

This possibility should be discussed before testing.

The psychological and financial impact of receiving a result with no transferable euploid embryos should not be overlooked.