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BIOPSIES are a pain. When they're medically necessary we put up with them. When they're not, most of us would just as soon remain un-punctured.
When the patient is a 3-day-old embryo, it's especially fair to ask for some evidence of a clear medical benefit.
Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis, or PGD, is a procedure sometimes performed in conjunction with in vitro fertilization to improve the quality of the embryos selected. It entails the careful isolation of one of a 3-day-old embryo's eight or so cells, then analysis of that cell's genetic contents. Based on what is found, IVF patients and doctors can decide which embryos to transfer into the woman's uterus.
Use of PGD has risen exponentially since its inception 17 years ago. In the U.S., where PGD isn't formally tracked, about 3,000 procedures were performed in 2005, according to a recent report from the Genetics & Public Policy Center, which is affiliated with Johns Hopkins University. Experts estimate its frequency is rising annually by 15% to 30%.
In Europe, where more accurate numbers are available, a reporting system found a...