Medical Oncologist
CION Cancer Clinics
Reproductive genetics and embryo testing in Hyderabad | CION Cancer Clinics
If one partner carries a known cancer gene fault, there are ways to avoid passing it on, and Hyderabad has fertility clinics that offer embryo testing. The route starts with a genetic counsellor who confirms the fault and explains every choice. This page covers the options, how embryo testing works in practice, and why having children without testing is also a legitimate decision. At CION Cancer Clinics in Hyderabad, our oncologists review your family history with you and guide you to the right genetic counselling and testing.
NG
Medically reviewed by Dr. Naresh GunduConsultant Medical Oncologist · MBBS, DNB (Internal Medicine), DM (Medical Oncology, AIIMS) · last reviewed September 2026, next review due September 2027
17+specialists on panel
15,000+patients treated
35+centres across Telangana & AP
4.8★ / 800+Google rating
On this page
- Can we avoid passing a cancer gene fault to our children?
- What options does a carrier couple have?
- How does a couple in Hyderabad get to embryo testing?
- Reproductive genetics terms, in plain language
- Embryo testing or testing during pregnancy?
- What this page cannot tell you
- What couples often assume, and what is actually true
- Common questions about reproductive genetics
The short answer
Can we avoid passing a cancer gene fault to our children?
There are options, and Hyderabad has fertility clinics that offer embryo testing. The route starts with a genetic counsellor, not with an IVF clinic. The counsellor confirms the exact fault in your family and explains every choice, including the choice to have children without any testing at all.
What reproductive genetics means here
It covers the choices open to a couple when one of them carries a known cancer gene fault. The best-known option is testing embryos made through IVF, called PGT-M, and choosing one without the fault. Other options include testing during a pregnancy, using donor eggs or sperm, and adoption.
Why the counsellor comes first
Embryo testing can only look for a fault that has already been found and confirmed in the family. The laboratory needs the exact variant, and often samples from relatives, to design a test for your family. That design work can take a while before IVF even begins. A counsellor also helps you think through the choices before money and hope are spent on one of them. Many couples find that the talk itself changes what they want.
No choice here is the correct one. Having children without testing is a legitimate decision.The choices
What options does a carrier couple have?
Each one suits some families and not others. A counsellor will go through them with you.
Having children without testing
Each child has an even chance of inheriting a dominant fault. Many carriers choose this route, knowing a child who inherits the fault can be offered testing and screening as an adult. By then, screening and prevention may also have improved further.
Embryo testing with IVF
Embryos are made through IVF, a few cells are tested, and an embryo without the fault is placed in the womb. It is expensive and can take several attempts. The woman goes through hormone injections and an egg collection even if she has no fertility problem.
It suits couples who
- Have a confirmed, clearly harmful fault
- Can manage the cost and the treatment
- Feel strongly about avoiding the fault
Testing during pregnancy
A sample from the placenta or the fluid around the baby can be tested for the fault. What a couple would do with the result is a deeply personal question to settle before the test. Hospitals in Hyderabad with foetal medicine teams can do these tests, but the laboratory still needs your family's exact fault in advance.
Donor eggs, donor sperm or adoption
Using an egg or sperm donor who does not carry the fault avoids passing it on. Adoption is another way to build a family, and some couples come to it after thinking through the other options. Donor treatment is also regulated under India's assisted reproduction law, so the same clinic checks apply.
Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistStep by step
How does a couple in Hyderabad get to embryo testing?
Genetic counselling
You see a genetic counsellor, ideally together. They confirm the fault, check the report is clear enough to test for, and explain every choice.
Choosing a fertility clinic
You pick an IVF clinic registered under India's assisted reproduction law that works with a laboratory able to test for your family's fault.
Designing the test
The laboratory builds a test for your family's exact fault. It may ask for samples from the carrier, the partner and sometimes a parent.
IVF and embryo testing
Eggs are collected, embryos are made, and a few cells from each are tested. Only embryos without the fault are considered for transfer.
Pregnancy and a check
If a pregnancy follows, a confirmation test during pregnancy may be offered, because embryo testing is highly accurate but not perfect.
Words you may hear
Reproductive genetics terms, in plain language
- PGT-M
- Preimplantation genetic testing for a single-gene condition. Testing embryos made through IVF for one known family fault.
- IVF
- In vitro fertilisation. Eggs and sperm are joined in a laboratory and the embryo is then placed in the womb.
- Familial variant
- The exact gene fault already found in your family. Embryo testing can only look for this.
- Embryo biopsy
- Taking a few cells from an early embryo to test them. It is done by the IVF laboratory, not on the mother.
- CVS and amniocentesis
- Two tests during pregnancy. One samples the placenta; the other samples the fluid around the baby.
- ART clinic
- An assisted reproduction clinic. In India these must be registered under the national law that governs IVF.
Leave a number, we will call you
One field. No form to fill in, and no charge for the call.
Side by side
Embryo testing or testing during pregnancy?
Embryo testing with IVF
Testing during a pregnancy
Needs IVF, even for a fertile couple
Works with a natural pregnancy
Decision made before a pregnancy begins
Decision made once a pregnancy is under way
High cost, often more than one attempt
Lower cost, but a small risk from the procedure
Offered at selected fertility clinics
Offered at hospitals with foetal medicine teams
Being straight with you
What this page cannot tell you
It cannot tell you which choice is right for your family, or whether a clinic will agree to test for your particular fault. Embryo testing is clearly accepted for serious conditions of childhood. For faults that raise cancer risk in adult life, clinics and ethics committees decide case by case, and the position in India is not fully settled. Ask before you start.
Who this does not apply to
Most couples do not need reproductive genetics at all. If neither partner has a confirmed fault, there is nothing specific to test embryos for. A variant of uncertain significance, sometimes written as VUS, is not a reason for embryo testing either, because nobody yet knows whether it matters.
Where the evidence is thin
Success rates depend heavily on the woman's age and the clinic, and published figures from Indian clinics are limited. Treat any clinic's success claims with care, and ask how they were measured.
Choosing a baby's sex is illegal in India. Embryo testing cannot be used for it, and no honest clinic will offer it.Commonly believed
What couples often assume, and what is actually true
"Any IVF clinic can test embryos for our gene."
The clinic needs a laboratory that can build a test for your family's exact fault. Not every clinic has that link, so ask directly before you pay for anything.
"A carrier should not have children."
That is not true, and no counsellor should suggest it. A child who inherits a cancer gene fault can live a full life, with screening that starts in adulthood. Having children without testing is a valid choice.
"Embryo testing makes the baby completely free of cancer risk."
It removes one known family fault. The child still carries the ordinary cancer risk everyone has, and other genes are not checked.
"Only the carrier needs to come to counselling."
Both partners should attend. The decision, the treatment and the cost are shared, and the partner's own history can matter to the laboratory.
Questions we are asked
Common questions about reproductive genetics
Is embryo testing legal in India?
Yes, for screening embryos for known inherited disease, through a clinic registered under India's assisted reproduction law. Whether an adult-onset cancer gene qualifies is decided case by case, so ask the clinic and your counsellor before you begin.
Where in Hyderabad is embryo testing offered?
Several fertility clinics in the city offer embryo testing through partner laboratories. Check that the clinic is registered and that its laboratory can test for your specific fault. Your genetic counsellor can help you judge the options.
Is embryo testing covered by insurance or Aarogyasri?
Usually not. Most couples pay for IVF and embryo testing themselves. Ask the clinic for a written estimate that includes the test design, each IVF cycle and the embryo testing, since these are often billed separately.
Can we do this if we have a VUS result?
No. A variant of uncertain significance is not known to cause disease, so there is no reason to select embryos against it. Wait for the variant to be reclassified, and ask how you will be told if it ever is.
What if the fault came from my husband?
The options are the same whichever partner carries it. A fault from the father passes to children in the same way as one from the mother. If the father carries it, donor sperm is one of the choices to discuss.
Do we need to tell the fertility clinic about the cancer?
Yes. A partner who has had cancer, or had treatment such as chemotherapy, may need extra advice about fertility and pregnancy. Bring the oncology summary and the genetic report to the first appointment.
Should our families be told?
That is your decision. Many couples keep fertility treatment private. Relatives who may carry the same fault do deserve to know about it, but that can be shared without sharing your own plans for children.
Where do we start?
With a genetic counselling appointment for both of you, bringing the carrier's genetic report. Call the CION helpline if you are not sure where to go, and someone will help you arrange that first conversation.
Your Specialists
Meet CION's oncologists. Bring your family history or genetic report to them.
Our medical oncologists see people with a strong family history of cancer, arrange genetic counselling and testing where it fits, and plan the checks that follow.
Medical Oncologist
Dr. C. Raghavendra Reddy
MBBS(Gold Medal), DNB(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Gold Medal)
Medical Oncologist
Dr. Bharati Devi Gorantla
MBBS, MD(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Adyar,Chennai), ECMO, MRCP SCE(UK)
Medical Oncologist
Dr. Owais Mohammed
MBBS, MD (General Medicine), DrNB (Medical Oncology), ECMO, MRCP SCE (Medical Oncology) (UK)
Medical Oncologist
Medical Oncologist
Want a specific doctor for your case? Mention them when booking.
Book Free ConsultationBook an appointment with our specialist
Share your name and number — we'll call you back within 30 minutes to schedule your consultation.
Patient stories
Hear it from people we have treated
Every story is a video, in the patient's own words. Nothing here is a written testimonial.
Accreditation and empanelment
- NABH
- NABL
- ISO 9001:2015
- ArogyaSri empanelled
- CGHS accepted
- ECHS accepted
- EHS accepted
- Major cashless insurers
Paying for it
Insurance, schemes and payment
What you actually pay usually differs a great deal from the sticker figure.
AarogyasriEmpanelled. Bring the card and a referral where you have one.
CGHS / ECHS / EHSAccepted at CION centres for eligible treatment.
Cashless insuranceMost major insurers are empanelled. Pre-authorisation is handled by our desk.
Self-payItemised estimate given before treatment starts. No EMI scheme exists.
Where to find us
Our centres in and around Hyderabad
Addressed by landmark, because that is how this city navigates. One helpline books a consultation at any of these centres, and your team will tell you where counselling and testing take place.
Warangal
Vizag
Sources
- Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority — Pre-implantation genetic testing for monogenic disorders (PGT-M)
- MedlinePlus Genetics — What are the different types of genetic tests?
- National Cancer Institute — BRCA Gene Changes: Cancer Risk and Genetic Testing
- Cancer Research UK — Inherited cancer genes and increased cancer risk
This page is general information, not a prescription. Do not change or stop any treatment based on what you read here. If anything is worrying you, contact your own treating team — or call our helpline and we will help you reach the right specialist.
Keep reading
Related pages
Genetic counselling in Hyderabad: where to startFinding the counsellor you should see firstPaediatric genetic services in HyderabadIf a child in the family is already affectedSecond opinion on a genetic result in HyderabadChecking the report is solid before you plan around itGenetic counselling in Telugu in HyderabadHaving this conversation in your own language
Talk to us
Carrying a gene fault and thinking about children?
Bring your genetic report and we will help you arrange counselling for both partners before any decision is made. One helpline serves every CION centre.