Aggregated News
Fairer provision of pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) - in which embryos can be screened for a particular abnormality - could also mean fewer abortions when problems are picked up further down the line, experts from the Assisted Conception Unit at Guy's Hospital say.
The new, fully integrated IVF and PGD centre in London opens on Thursday and will serve couples from across the UK who want to ensure their baby does not carry a potentially life-threatening inherited condition - from cystic fibrosis to some forms of early onset cancer.
But a "postcode lottery" means many parents who would like to use the service cannot necessarily get their local primary care trust to put up the £7,000 needed for the treatment, according to Alison Lashwood, a consultant nurse in genetics and PGD at Guy's.
Funding decisions can take up to a year to be reached, she added.
"There is no doubt that there are couples who go ahead [and conceive naturally] and go on to have further affected children," she said.
In one case known to the centre, a couple who...
The new, fully integrated IVF and PGD centre in London opens on Thursday and will serve couples from across the UK who want to ensure their baby does not carry a potentially life-threatening inherited condition - from cystic fibrosis to some forms of early onset cancer.
But a "postcode lottery" means many parents who would like to use the service cannot necessarily get their local primary care trust to put up the £7,000 needed for the treatment, according to Alison Lashwood, a consultant nurse in genetics and PGD at Guy's.
Funding decisions can take up to a year to be reached, she added.
"There is no doubt that there are couples who go ahead [and conceive naturally] and go on to have further affected children," she said.
In one case known to the centre, a couple who...