What Are the Options for Genetic Carrier Screening Before Starting IVF?

Genetic carrier screening is one of the most valuable steps prospective parents can take before beginning an IVF cycle. Carriers of genetic conditions often have no symptoms themselves, yet both partners may unknowingly carry a mutation for the same recessive disorder, creating a real risk of passing it on to a child. Knowing this information before treatment begins opens the door to more informed decisions and, when necessary, targeted embryo testing before transfer.

At Chedid Grieco, genetic evaluation is part of how we approach every patient’s fertility care. With more than 30 years of experience and a full-service laboratory in São Paulo, Brazil, our team incorporates genetic diagnostics into the conversation from the very beginning. Understanding your screening options before you start in vitro fertilization is one of the best ways to prepare, and we are here to help you do exactly that.

What Genetic Carrier Screening Involves

Carrier screening is a blood or saliva test performed on one or both partners to identify whether they carry a gene variant associated with a heritable condition. Most conditions tested through carrier screening are recessive, meaning a child would need to inherit one copy of the variant from each parent in order to be affected. A carrier typically has no symptoms, which is precisely why screening before treatment is so useful.

There are two main approaches your care team may discuss with you. Targeted screening focuses on specific conditions based on your ethnic background or family history, such as cystic fibrosis, sickle cell disease, or spinal muscular atrophy. Expanded carrier screening tests for hundreds of conditions, regardless of ethnicity, and is increasingly recommended as a standard option for individuals planning assisted reproduction. Both approaches provide meaningful information and can help shape the decisions you and your care team make together.

How Carrier Screening Connects to IVF

When both partners are identified as carriers of the same recessive condition, the risk of having an affected child rises to 25 percent per pregnancy. In the context of IVF, this information is particularly actionable. According to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, preimplantation genetic testing for monogenic conditions should be offered when a significant reproductive risk is identified, giving patients the option to select unaffected embryos before transfer.

This type of testing works alongside preimplantation genetic diagnosis to analyze embryos created during IVF for the specific mutation identified through carrier screening. It does not eliminate all reproductive risk, but it significantly reduces the chance of a child being born with the condition in question. Your care team will walk you through what results mean and how they factor into your overall treatment plan.

Who Should Consider Carrier Screening Before IVF

Carrier screening is relevant for a broad range of patients, not just those with a known family history. The following groups may particularly benefit from screening before beginning a cycle:

• Patients with a known family history: Those with a relative diagnosed with a hereditary condition, regardless of the patient’s own symptoms
• Individuals from higher-risk ethnic backgrounds: Certain populations carry elevated rates of specific conditions, making targeted testing especially valuable
• All patients pursuing IVF: Expanded screening is increasingly offered universally, as many carriers have no ethnic or family history indicators
• Patients using donor gametes: Reviewing genetic factors linked to infertility and inherited risk in donor materials is an important part of the selection process

Screening results help your team determine whether additional embryo testing is warranted before proceeding with a transfer cycle.

Plan Your Care With Chedid Grieco

Chedid Grieco holds both FDA licensing and a New York Department of Health (NYDH) tissue license, making it one of only 8 fertility clinics outside the United States to carry this distinction. With 8,780 babies born, 1,200 cycles performed each year, and a multilingual team fluent in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and French, we bring boutique-level precision to every aspect of your care. Patients traveling internationally can review our fertility tourism information to understand how we support you from consultation through treatment.

Consultations take place in Miami, Florida, while treatments are conducted at our advanced laboratory in São Paulo, Brazil. If you are ready to discuss genetic carrier screening as part of your IVF planning, reach out through our contact form to schedule your consultation today.