PGS for gay couples helps determine which embryo to transfer to a surrogate

Gay men who want to build their family, while having a genetic connection to their child, can come to our Northern Virginia fertility center for exceptional care. This miraculous process is achieved using donor eggs, sperm from the father and a gestational surrogate. To provide peace of mind, we also offer PGS for gay couples. PGS, or preimplantation genetic screening, is a technique we use to identify random chromosomal abnormalities that may occur in the embryos available for transfer. PGS singles out the embryo that is most likely to lead to a healthy baby.

We perform cutting-edge PGS for gay couples

At our Northern Virginia fertility center, we offer the newest, state-of-the-art PGS for gay couples. The technology, available through Genesis Genetics or Good Start Genetics, involves next-generation, or next-gen, sequencing. This technique requires that we freeze the embryos while we wait for testing results (this may take up to 2 weeks) we can use to determine which embryo has a normal number of chromosomes. The sex of the embryo is also revealed with PGS.

Why choose PGS?

When a gay couple or individual is building a family at our Northern Virginia fertility center, we understand that it is a big investment. PGS for gay couples is another tool that we offer to help achieve the best possible outcome for a successful pregnancy. It also provides a way to identify the gender prior to embryo transfer.

How PGS is performed

After IVF, an experienced embryologist gently removes six to eight cells from each embryo. These cells are sent to a reference lab and analyzed to determine which embryos have the normal 22 pairs of chromosomes (autosomes), as well as the pair of chromosomes that determine the sex of the baby, for a total of 23 pairs.

PGS for gay couples helps determine whether any of the embryos have extra or missing chromosomes, known as aneuploidy, or if any chromosomes have translocated, which means a piece of a chromosome has broken off and reattached itself to a different part of the chromosome or even to another chromosome.

With next-generation sequencing, PGS for gay couples increases the chances that the embryo we transfer will result in a successful pregnancy and allows us to transfer a single embryo to decrease the odds of twins (most surrogates now are only willing to have one embryo transferred).

Fatherhood is a gift you deserve to enjoy

PGS for gay couples is one of several services we offer for family building for gay men.
VCRM has been rated as the best surrogacy program in the U.S.* We also pioneered the dual embryo transfer that allows both men to contribute their genetic traits to their children.

*Recently, the website Men Having Babies named our Washington, DC fertility center as the #1 clinic in the United States.