Every couple that wants a child, would of course like a healthy one. For this reason, the CRG works closely with the CMG, or Centre for Medical Genetics at UZ Brussel. This department specializes in the detection of hereditary conditions. Although not all conditions are predictable or avoidable, there is a lot which can be done, which would not have been possible a few years ago. Click here for their website. 

We perform three groups of investigations:

Prior calculation of risk 

If there is a history of a particular hereditary disease or condition in yours or your partners' family, the CMG can calculate the risk of your child inheriting the condition, before you get pregnant.

Furthermore, if you (the woman) are older than 35, then it is a good idea that you and your partner are informed of the risks of having a child. The older you become, the greater the risk of your child being born with serious conditions such as mongolism. You can find out more about why this is so by seeing the woman's age.

The calculations of the CMG can give you a better insight of your situation. This will help you in your decision when faced with the following options:

     

Nobody can guarantee that your child will be completely healthy. The investigations done by the CMG can only indicate a certain number of abnormalities. A prenatal investigation or pre-implantation diagnosis can give more certainty, but no absolute guarantee.

You are not obliged by the centre to anything. The tests are only performed in order to inform and guide you. If for example, an amniocentesis test indicates that there might be something wrong with the baby, you will be informed of the precise type of problem and the consequences thereof. But whether or not the pregnancy is terminated, is entirely your own decision. Provided that it  is legally permissible and medically responsible, the decision of the patient is always respected. 

     

Do abnormalities occur more frequently in IVF children than in others? The reason why all children born as a result of IVF and ICSI at the CRG are examined by the CMG at various stages of their development, is to find this out.
In about 3% of the children, abnormalities are observed. This not only corresponds with data from other IVF centres, but also with the percentage of children born of natural methods. Therefore there is nothing to suggest that there is an increase in abnormalities in IVF children.
As for ICSI, it is still too early to be able to form concrete conclusions. There has not yet been sufficient data collected since the introduction of the technique. Initial indications show that ICSI does not result in an increased risk, but this can not yet be said for certain.

     

Can you choose the sex of your baby?

These days, the sex of an embryo can be determined before it is placed into the uterus. However, sex selection is only ever done for medical reasons, to avoid abnormalities which only affect one sex. It is never done on the basis of personal choice. Girls have less chance of acquiring X-chromosome related abnormalities than boys. This is because girls have two X-chromosomes and boys only one. If one is faulty in a female, the body can switch over to the other unaffected one. Males don't have this option and are therefore much more likely to be affected by an abnormality of this kind.