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Why only 12% of reproductive clinicians approve of polygenic embryo screening

If you're a reproductive endocrinologist or genetic counselor, you've probably settled on some version of this: polygenic embryo screening is interesting, but not ready. Professional societies urge caution. The evidence base is still developing. Better to wait.

March 30, 2026

Is intelligence hereditary? Yes. Most public discussion gets the science wrong.

If you're going through IVF and you've got a family history of sharp people (or not-so-sharp people), chances are you've wondered how much of that gets passed on. Maybe you've Googled "is intelligence hereditary" looking for a clean number. The short answer is: a lot. Cognitive ability is one of the most heritable traits in human genetics.

March 27, 2026

PGT is four different tests hiding behind one acronym

PGT is a set of genetic tests run on embryos before transfer. Depending on which type, it can tell you whether an embryo has the right number of chromosomes, whether it carries a specific inherited mutation, or what its overall risk looks like for common conditions like heart disease, Alzheimer's, and schizophrenia.

March 26, 2026

Your age isn't the problem. Your embryo's chromosomes might be.

If you're over 35 and going through IVF, chances are your RE has shown you the chart. You know the one. Success rates drop off a cliff around your age and approach zero by the early forties. It's one of the first things they show you, and it's hard to unsee.

March 25, 2026

Trained on strangers, tested on siblings

If you've looked into polygenic embryo screening, you've probably come across accuracy numbers. A score "explains 20% of disease variance." An AUC of 0.75. Those numbers come from real published research, and they look solid.

March 25, 2026

The doctors who dismiss PGT-P have almost never used it

You asked your fertility doctor about polygenic embryo screening, and they told you it's not ready. Maybe they said the science isn't there yet. Maybe they said professional societies recommend against it. You left the appointment feeling like the question was settled.

March 23, 2026

Polygenic embryo screening: what it is and why the critics were wrong about it

Polygenic embryo screening is a type of genetic screening available to parents going through IVF that estimates each embryo's predisposition toward common diseases. It can be used to reduce a future child's risk of type 2 diabetes, breast cancer, Alzheimer's, heart disease, and more. It's a significantly more comprehensive version of the genetic testing that's been available for decades, which could only screen for conditions caused by a single gene, like cystic fibrosis.

March 20, 2026

The three letters that decide whether insurance covers your PGT

If you've just gotten a quote for preimplantation genetic testing and called your insurance company, you probably got one of two answers: "not covered" or "we'll need to look into that." Neither tells you much.

March 19, 2026

Embryo screening is three different tests, and most families only hear about one

Most IVF patients hear "your embryos were tested" and assume that covers everything. It almost never does. Embryo screening isn't one test. It's three, and each one answers a fundamentally different genetic question. One counts chromosomes. One looks for specific inherited mutations like cystic fibrosis. And the third measures the combined effect of hundreds of genetic variants on common disease risk.

March 18, 2026

Bipolar disorder is one of the most heritable conditions nobody screens for

If you or your partner has bipolar disorder and you're thinking about IVF, chances are the question of whether your child could inherit it isn't new to you. You've probably been thinking about it for years. Bipolar disorder is one of the most heritable conditions in all of medicine. More heritable than breast cancer. More heritable than type 2 diabetes. More heritable than coronary artery disease. A Finnish twin study of over 19,000 twins put the heritability of bipolar I at 93%. Identical twins showed seven times the concordance rate of fraternal twins.

March 17, 2026

PGT-A Screening: What It Actually Does (And What It Doesn't)

PGT-A is a genetic test available to parents going through IVF that checks whether each embryo has the right number of chromosomes before transfer. A few cells are biopsied from the outer layer of a Day 5 or Day 6 blastocyst, the lab counts chromosomes, and embryos with the correct number (euploid) get prioritized. It's the most common add-on in embryo screening, and nearly half of all IVF cycles in the US now include it.

March 17, 2026

Alzheimer's and genetics: what your family history actually means for your embryos

If you've watched a parent start forgetting names, you've probably asked yourself the question most doctors won't give you a straight answer to: Could I pass this on to my children? Yes. You very likely could. And the degree to which that's true is bigger than most people realize.

March 13, 2026

ADHD screening before embryo transfer: what the genetics actually show

If you or your partner has ADHD, or it runs in your family, chances are you've thought about whether your child might have it too. Maybe you've been told it's about parenting, or diet, or screen time, or that kids grow out of it. Most of the conventional advice for parents in your situation focuses on environmental factors, because those were the only things anyone could change.

March 12, 2026

Embryo screening: the complete map for IVF families

Most IVF families learn about embryo screening backwards. Your clinic mentions PGT-A. Maybe a counselor brings up PGT-M. And if you've done enough late-night reading, you might've stumbled across PGT-P. But nobody sits you down and shows you how all of these fit together, what each one actually tests for, or what falls through the cracks when you only do one.

March 11, 2026

How long does PGT testing take?

You've had your embryos biopsied, and now you're getting three different answers to what should be a simple question. One clinic says one to two weeks. Another says six to eight. Someone who did PGT-P says it took even longer.

March 10, 2026

How much does PGT cost?

"How much does PGT cost?" is the wrong question. Not because cost doesn't matter, but because the number your clinic quotes you is hiding most of the actual expense, and the number you should really care about isn't even on the bill.

March 10, 2026

Should I do embryo screening?

Every embryo screening company will tell you their test is worth it. Few will tell you when it isn't. The value of polygenic screening depends on your specific situation: embryo count, family medical history, and what you're hoping to learn. For some families, screening reveals meaningful risk differences between embryos. For others, it adds cost without changing the decision.

March 2, 2026

What does a genetic counselor do?

If you're going through IVF and your clinic hands you a report with risk percentages for a dozen conditions across five embryos, chances are you're going to stare at it and feel completely lost. A genetic counselor is the person who turns those numbers into a decision you actually feel good about. They look at your family history, explain what the scores mean for your specific situation, and help you weigh trade-offs that no PDF can walk you through on its own.

February 25, 2026

What Is PGT-P? Preimplantation Genetic Testing for Polygenic Conditions

PGT-P (preimplantation genetic testing for polygenic conditions) is a genetic test that evaluates embryos for risk of common diseases using polygenic risk scores. Unlike preimplantation genetic testing for single-gene disorders (PGT-M) or chromosome abnormalities (PGT-A), PGT-P assesses conditions influenced by many genetic variants working together. These include type 2 diabetes, heart disease, breast cancer, and Alzheimer's disease.

February 18, 2026

Reducing Your Child's Risk of Type 2 Diabetes Through Embryo Screening

If you're a parent with type 2 diabetes, or you have an immediate family member with the condition, chances are you've occasionally thought about what you might be able to do to prevent your child from getting the disease. Typical advice given for parents in your situation is about lifestyle: what foods to feed your children, how to keep them physically active, how to manage their weight, and even advice about breastfeeding.

February 5, 2026