For couples like your brother and his wife, Le Hau, who have been married for three years without contraception and no children, infertility is a likely diagnosis. Seeking early examination and treatment at a fertility support center is crucial.

At the IVF Tam Anh Ho Chi Minh City Center, initial consultations for infertile couples involve physical health assessments and identifying potential risks of genetic diseases through a comprehensive questionnaire.

If your brother's intellectual disability stems from a medical condition with an inheritable risk for future generations, specialized genetic counseling is available. If necessary, the couple will undergo karyotyping and advanced genetic tests to pinpoint chromosomal or gene abnormalities. Doctors can then accurately identify the specific abnormality and screen embryos, increasing the chances of conceiving a healthy child.

The process involves collecting the couple's sperm and eggs for in vitro fertilization (IVF), with embryos cultured to the day 5 stage. Embryologists then perform a biopsy for preimplantation genetic testing (PGT). After the biopsy, embryos are cryopreserved while awaiting PGT results. Embryos confirmed to be free of genetic abnormalities are then selected for thawing and transfer to the uterus.

The most suitable PGT technique is chosen based on the nature of your brother's abnormality. If karyotyping reveals chromosomal structural abnormalities, doctors prescribe PGT-SR for the embryos. For gene abnormalities, PGT-M precisely diagnoses and identifies embryos carrying abnormalities similar to the father.

IVF Tam Anh embryologists perform preimplantation genetic screening biopsy. Photo: Bao Phuong

Preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) methods can detect thousands of genetic conditions. These include 18 common recessive single-gene disorders with a high carrier rate in the community, which can be inherited by subsequent generations, such as: beta thalassemia and alpha thalassemia (congenital hemolytic anemia), G6PD deficiency, hemophilia, and spinal muscular atrophy. PGT also identifies chromosomal structural abnormalities like deletions and translocations. PGT-A is often applied to older couples to select embryos free of chromosomal aneuploidies such as Down syndrome, Edwards syndrome, Patau syndrome, Turner syndrome, and Klinefelter syndrome.

A child's intelligence quotient (IQ) is only about 30% genetic, with the remaining 70% shaped by quality education, living environment, and nutrition. Therefore, infertile couples should plan for scientific child care and upbringing to help their children grow healthy and develop intellectually.

Master Ma Pham Que Mai

Genetic Counselor

IVF Tam Anh Ho Chi Minh City Center