Comprehensive Chromosome Screening (CCS) is a type of preimplantation genetic screening that evaluates all 23 pairs of human chromosomes in search of any abnormalities (aneuploidy). Aneuploidy is the term used to describe any embryo with either too many or too few chromosomes. Greater than 60% of miscarriages are caused by chromosomal abnormalities, with increased incidence due to age.
The purpose of Select CCS is to analyze, select and transfer only embryos that are euploidy (embryos that have the correct number of chromosomes). Screening embryos in advance can help achieve higher implantation rates and fewer pregnancy losses, particularly for women 35 years or older, couples with multiple failed IVF cycles or implantation failure, and couples with repeated miscarriages.
The benefits of Select CCS are many:
- Allows the embryologist to accurately select the highest quality embryo(s) for transfer.
- Selecting high-quality embryos improves implantation rates and reduces miscarriage rates.
- Greatly reduce the odds for having twins or triplets.
- Reduces the risks associated with becoming pregnant with multiples. These risks include increased risk of premature birth and low birth weight babies, increased risk of C-section and time spent in neonatal intensive care units, as well as health risks to the mother.
Select CCS uses advanced analytic technology involving qualitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) which allows for all 23 pairs of human chromosomes from several embryonic cells to be evaluated with greater than 98% accuracy. Other methods of screening may involve obtaining a biopsy of cells at an early embryo stage, and sampling the single cell at an early stage is not always representative of the whole embryo, allowing some abnormalities to be missed. In addition, removing cells at such an early stage in the embryo’s development can also be harmful to the embryo.
Conversely, Select CCS techniques obtain 5-10 cells from a day 5 embryo called a blastocyst. Blastocyst stage embryos have several hundred cells and have a defined genetic structure. Biopsying the embryo at a more advanced cell age dramatically increases the accuracy of this testing and minimizes potential damage that the biopsy can cause to an embryo.
Select CCS is highly effective, efficient and provides both mother and baby a safer path for pregnancy. Learn more about Select CCS by speaking to a RMANJ Physician Specialist.
