what about getting a disease from an embryo?

[luvbabies]

I am wanting to know about what the chances are or statistics if you will in regards to embryos giving the mom an infectious disease? I ask because my husband has had this concern for me and I think friends and family will ask too. Heidi

[reg.finger]

In the United States, embryo donors must be screened for each of a series of infectious diseases (the list is prescribed by the Food and Drug administration) before the embryo is donated. This list includes HIV, hepatitis C, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, HTLV-I and II, CMV, and Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease. If for some reason the donor cannot be screened or results are not available, the embryo can only be donated if the recipient is fully informed of the risk, and the donor and recipient are known to one another (i.e., not anonymous).

These precautions are sufficient in my judgment to eliminate any reasonable risk of infectious disease transmission as a result of embryo donation.

Thanks for asking!

Reg Finger, MD, MPH

[luvbabies]

What is HTLV-I and II?

[reg.finger]

HTLV-I and HTLV-II (human T-cell leukemia viruses types I and II) are viruses that cause rare forms of leukemia. When AIDS was first discovered, it was thought that the virus that causes AIDS was closely related to these viruses. Thus it was originally named HTLV-III. Later it was found that this virus (now called HIV) is quite different.

Thanks

Reg Finger, MD, MPH