Skip to main content Skip to main menu Skip to footer

Pregnancy

"I-sarang"" will help create a society where children bring happiness

Infertility testing

Preparation before examinations

When visiting a hospital for the first time for infertility consultation, it is recommended that women visit the hospital on the 2nd or 3rd day after the start of their menstrual cycle. A semen analysis requires collection, pre-processing, and microscopic examination. Therefore, men must make an appointment for semen examination in advance. They must bring their ID card to verify their identification, and they must abstain from sexual intercourse for 2 to 4 days prior to the test to ensure an accurate examination.

Tests

검사내용-여성인 경우, 남성인 경우 테이블
Female Male
  • Pre-pregnancy examination
  • Ultrasound
  • Hormone test
  • Hysterosalpingography(HSG)
  • Hysteroscopy, laparoscopy
  • Pre-pregnancy examination
  • Semen analysis
  • Hormone test
  • Testicular biopsy

(Source : Korea Psychological Counseling for Fertility and Pregnancy)

Guide to Infertility Testing

Guide to Infertility Testing(Korean Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology)

Preimplantation Genetic Testing(PGT)

1. Preimplantation Genetic Testing for chromosomal Aneuploidy, PGT-A)
PGT is an in-vitro fertilization(IVF) method of checking for chromosomal numerical abnormalities in an embryo before transfer in women who are older or have experienced habitual miscarriage or repeated implantation failure(RIF). Even if the couple wishing to become pregnant does not have an abnormality in a specific chromosome, this will allow them to transfer only embryos with normal chromosomes.

2. Preimplantation Genetic Testing for Monogenic disease, PGT-M)
Having children is a truly difficult task for couples with genetic disorders, with the goal to have a child with normal genes. Upon In Vitro Fertilization-Embryo Transfer(IVF-ET), before an embryo is transferred to the uterus, genetic diseases are diagnosed during the fertilization stage and only chromosomally normal embryos are selected for transfer.
In general, diseases caused by single gene mutations such as cystic fibrosis, Tay-Sachs disease, and sickle cell anemia are indications. If you have a family history of a genetic disease, or if your first child is born with a genetic disease, you can undergo preimplantation genetic testing(PGT) after genetic testing.

3. Preimplantation Genetic Testing for chromosomal Structural Rearrangement, PGT-SR)
This can be performed when a parent has structural chromosome abnormalities(e.g., translocation, inversion, deletion, etc.) that pose a risk of transmission to the offspring. Structural chromosomal abnormalities can lead to miscarriage and are more common in couples with recurrent miscarriage.

Testing method

Fiive days after fertilization(when the embryo is a blastocyst), some cultured embryonic cells are collected through micromanipulation, and the DNA extracted from the embryonic cells is compared with the DNA of normal cells using molecular genetic methods to determine whether there are any numerical or structural abnormalities in the embryonic chromosomes.
This test is only a test to preemptively screen out embryos with serious chromosomal abnormalities that could cause miscarriage or Down syndrome among multiple embryos to be transferred. It is not a test to screen for all genetic diseases that may occur. Some embryos are mosaic, which is a mixture of normal and abnormal cells. Even if the test results come out normal, these embryos may end up with abnormalities. In addition, the cost of testing is high because cells must be collected from the embryo through high-difficulty micromanipulation and tests must be performed on multiple embryos individually.
However, its use is increasing in developed countries such as the United States and Europe because it increases the success rate of pregnancy while also reducing the risk of serious genetic diseases such as Down syndrome.

(Source : Korean Association of Obstetrics and Gynecology)