Getting pregnant is not always simple and with an increase in the age of first-time mothers, there is an increased need for in vitro fertilization (IVF). IVF allows the generation of embryos in the lab and subsequent embryo transfer to the patient. Successful implantation of the embryo depends on many factors with chromosomal aneuploidy being one of the important factors in a failed IVF cycle. There are several ways the odds of success can be increased and risks of miscarriage are reduced.

The plans for this year’s NIPT and PGT conferences, like many others, were quickly derailed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The ESHG and ESHRE Annual Meetings were moved to virtual space and even though the format was a new experience, the science did not disappoint. Here we will share some of the highlights from the sessions.

This week is National Women’s Health week1 and is dedicated to women to focus on their health and take steps to improve it. As Women’s Health week traditionally starts on Mother’s Day, we tend to focus primarily on Reproductive Health but it is important to look at the complete picture as some women encounter various conditions and treatments prior to starting a family. Women’s health encompasses things like fertility, pregnancy, infections, cancer, but also many underlying health conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular or respiratory conditions. Many of women’s health problems can be diagnosed by using advanced testing methods. As the technology develops and becomes more complex, ensuring the best performance of the tests is even more critical. With better testing, it is possible to improve outcomes for women around the world.

Prenatal screening for aneuploidy has changed dramatically since the 1970s. Non-invasive methods developed in the 1980s and 1990s, combined measurements of maternal serum analytes and ultrasonography. The problem with those methods was not just a high false-negative rate of 12% to 23%, a high positive rate of 5% and a poor sensitivity, ranging from 50% to 95% 1. Uncertain results frequently led to invasive procedures such as amniocentesis or chorionic villi sampling to perform karyotyping on fetal samples. Both of those procedures carry a risk of miscarriage.