Genetic Test Brings Baby Joy
Adam and Joanne Henry were devastated when their first child Jasmine died soon after birth from a chromosome abnormality.
The abnormality was passed on to Jasmine from Joanne who was unaware she was a carrier of chromosome rearrangement.
The couple feared that if they tried to conceive naturally they may never have children because of the likelihood of miscarriage or having another baby with the defect.
Joanne and Adam were referred to the Centre for Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis at Guy's Hospital which used a pioneering embryo-testing technique to help the couple conceive their first children Aimee, 4, and then Harrison, who was born in July.
The special technique, called pre-implementation genetic diagnosis (PGD), assesses whether an embryo is free from a specific genetic abnormality before implanting a healthy embryo into the mother's womb.
Adam said: "When you lose a child you can't put yourself in that line of fire again. Without PGD we would have remained two parents grieving the loss of a child and nothing to compensate it.
"Now we now have two very healthy children. Jasmine made a huge sacrifice and we don't ever stop thinking about her."
Alison Lashwood, Consultant Nurse in Genetics and PGD, who was part of the team that treated Joanne and Adam, said chromosomal rearrangements cause miscarriage or result in children who are born with severe mental and physical disabilities. Or in Jasmine's case, the baby only lives for a short time.
The couple began fertility treatment and on the second round produced seven eggs (or embryos). Of those one healthy embryo was identified and then inseminated. Joanne confirmed the pregnancy two weeks later.
Joanne said: "When I found out I was pregnant I was delighted - just over the moon. Aimee is my special princess."
The couple recently went through the process again to have their second child, Harrison. Of the three embryos produced, one was healthy and viable.
Adam said: "We would not have decided to have another child if we didn't have an excellent experience at Guy's and St Thomas'. The whole unit is superb.
"The process is tough and in most cases the fertility drugs have unpleasant side affects. But the team at Guy's were always in touch, supportive and available."
Ms Lashwood said: "PGD is for couples with a known inherited genetic or chromosome abnormality, which enables them to ensure that they do not have a child affected by the disorder.
"We are an NHS centre and we accept all couples who are entitled to NHS treatment. We would make an application to their Primary Care Trust for funding for the treatment cycle."
The Trust has the largest PGD centre in the UK and 158 healthy babies have been born with its assistance.
Joanne and Adam are one of four couples treated by the unit who have had more than one baby as the result of PGD. Their treatment was self-funded.
Notes
1. Contact: Natalie Gregg, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust tel: 020 7188 5577 or e-mail: natalie.gregg@gstt.nhs.uk. Out of hours, please call our pager bureau on 08700 555500, ask for pager number 847704 and give the pager operator your message.
2. Guy's and St Thomas' provides around ¾ million patient contacts in acute and specialist hospital services every year. As one of the biggest NHS Trusts in the UK, it employs over 9,000 staff. The Trust works in partnership with the Schools of Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing and Biomedical Sciences of King's College London and other Higher Education Institutes to deliver high quality education and research. Website: http://www.guysandstthomas.nhs.uk
3. King's College London and Guy's and St Thomas', King's College Hospital and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trusts are working together to create a world-leading Academic Health Sciences Centre (AHSC). Our AHSC brings together an unrivalled range and depth of clinical and research expertise, spanning both physical and mental health. Our combined strengths will drive improvements in care for patients, allowing them to benefit from breakthroughs in medical science and receive leading edge treatment at the earliest possible opportunity.
King's College London
Genetic Test aduce Baby Joy - Genetic Test Brings Baby Joy - articole medicale engleza - startsanatate