The first step of PGT treatment is to complete your file to ensure we understand which condition needs to be detected. We therefore need all available information about the condition and its cause prior to the consultation.

For this purpose, you must provide us with the laboratory results for the PGT indication/genetic disorder. A genetic consultation report is not sufficient. If karyotype, cystic fibrosis, Fragile X or spinal muscular atrophy were tested, we would also like to receive this. Additionally, we would also like to receive the genetic laboratory results of family members if they are available. Please submit the above documents together with the completed administrative document and the completed questionnaires.

If we do not receive this information in full, unfortunately, your application cannot be processed yet.

Please take into account that there will be a certain processing time for your PGT application. Your application will be discussed within the PGT team (doctor, lab, PGT coordinator). Unfortunately, we cannot provide you with an exact duration of this process. Once your application has been processed, you will be contacted via email by one of our PGT coordinators regarding the next steps.

In most cases, additional preliminary examinations and tests are also scheduled to complete your medical records.

A karyotype or chromosome map will be created for each prospective parent by default (unless this was already done elsewhere and these results are available). This test shows that the prospective parent was born with the usual number of chromosomes (46) and that there are no changes in the shape of these chromosomes. Karyotyping is performed for everyone because changes in chromosomes have a direct impact on the chances of success of a PGT pathway.

In addition, we also screen prospective parents for a number of less rare hereditary conditions, even if there is no personal or family history of these conditions. We check for the most common types of genetic variants, such as cystic fibrosis (CFTR gene), Fragile X Syndrome (FMR1 gene) and spinal muscular atrophy (SMN1 gene). Initially, we test one of the two prospective parents. Depending on the outcomes, we may decide to test the other parent. In the event that you use donor sperm or donor oocytes, the oocyte or sperm donors have also been screened for these conditions.

These genetic tests are reimbursed (except for the copayment) by Belgian mutual health insurance funds. You also have the option to choose an extended carrier screening test (BeGECS), which screens almost 3,000 recessive or X-linked genes for the couple. BeGECS is not reimbursed by Belgian mutual health insurance funds. You will be informed of the exact price of this screening during your consultation.

In principle, PGT development is reimbursed once only by Belgian mutual health insurance funds. If you have already undergone PGT in another centre, it is vital that you inform us of this so we can check your eligibility for reimbursement of a new round of PGT development.

The clinical geneticist and fertility specialist discuss the results with you and prescribe your fertility treatment. That same day, the fertility counsellor will review all the steps of the treatment with you and schedule a start date. The counsellor will explain which medication you must take, the cost of your treatment, oocyte retrieval, embryo transfer... as well as the legal and financial implications.

In PGT, we always use ICSI as the fertilisation technique, meaning we inject one sperm into each oocyte a few hours after oocyte retrieval. That way, we do not risk testing genetic material from another sperm cell (still surrounding the embryo) instead of the embryo itself, which might be the case with IVF. After injection, the petri dish goes into an incubator that mimics the conditions in the uterus as closely as possible. Depending on the PGT, the biopsy is done day 5, 6 or 7 after fertilisation (day 0). Immediately after the biopsy, all embryos are frozen pending the results of the genetic analysis, which takes 4 weeks from the time of the biopsy. As soon as the test results are available, a transfer of a frozen embryo can be scheduled.