Medical Oncologist
CION Cancer Clinics
PGT-M success rates: what to realistically expect | CION Cancer Clinics
Many couples who use PGT-M go on to have a child without the family fault, but often not from the first attempt. The woman's age matters more than anything else. This page explains where embryos drop out along the way, which success figures are honest and which flatter, and how to set expectations you can live with before you begin. At CION Cancer Clinics, our team helps carriers and their families plan checks, next steps and support after a genetic result.
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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
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On this page
- What are the real chances that PGT-M leads to a baby?
- What decides whether an attempt works?
- Where do embryos drop out along the way?
- The success words, in plain language
- Which figures sound good, and which ones matter?
- What this page cannot tell you
- Four things couples expect, and what is actually true
- Common questions about PGT-M success
The short answer
What are the real chances that PGT-M leads to a baby?
Many couples who use PGT-M do go on to have a child without the family fault, but often not from the first attempt. The single biggest factor is the woman's age, because it decides how many eggs she produces and how healthy they are. The genetic test itself rarely stands in the way.
Why a single success figure misleads
Clinics can measure success in several ways. A figure per embryo transfer sounds much higher than a figure per attempt started, because it leaves out every attempt that never reached a transfer. The number that matters to a family is the chance of taking a baby home from each attempt you begin.
Why age matters so much
Younger women usually produce more eggs, and a higher share of their embryos have the right number of chromosomes. Every embryo that stops growing, or turns out to carry the family fault, reduces the pool. More eggs at the start means more chances at the end.
What realistic hope looks like
Go in expecting that more than one attempt may be needed, and that the process will be tiring. Couples who plan for that tend to cope better than couples who treat the first attempt as the only one.
Ask every clinic for its live birth figure per attempt started, for women of your age.What moves the odds
What decides whether an attempt works?
Four things, and only one of them is about the genetic test.
The woman's age and egg numbers
This matters more than anything else. A blood test and a scan early on give the fertility specialist a fair idea of how many eggs to expect, and they will be honest with you about what that means.
How the fault is inherited
When one partner carries a fault like BRCA, each embryo has a one in two chance of carrying it. When both partners carry a fault in the same gene, usually about one in four embryos is affected. The pattern changes how many embryos you need.
Embryo growth and the biopsy
Not every fertilised egg grows long enough to be tested. A few embryos do not survive the biopsy or the freezing. Some give an unclear result and cannot be used.
Worth asking the clinic
- How often embryos survive thawing in their laboratory
- What happens when a result is unclear
The clinic and the laboratory
Experience with embryo biopsy and with your type of fault matters. Ask whether the laboratory has tested for this gene before, and how its results are checked.
Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistFrom eggs to a baby
Where do embryos drop out along the way?
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Eggs are collected
The number depends mostly on age. Not every egg collected is mature enough to be fertilised.
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Some eggs fertilise
Each mature egg is injected with a sperm. Most, but not all, begin to develop into an embryo.
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Some embryos grow long enough to test
Embryos need about five or six days of growth before a biopsy. A good share stop growing before then, which is normal.
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Some are found free of the family fault
Depending on the inheritance pattern, roughly half or three quarters of tested embryos will be unaffected.
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One is transferred
Usually a single embryo is placed in the womb at a time, to avoid the risks of twins. Others stay frozen for later.
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A pregnancy, and then a baby
Not every transfer leads to a pregnancy, and not every pregnancy continues. This last step is where age matters most again.
In the clinic's figures
The success words, in plain language
- Live birth rate
- How often an attempt ends with a baby born. This is the figure that matters most.
- Per cycle started
- Counts every attempt that began, including those that never reached a transfer. It is the most honest measure.
- Per embryo transfer
- Counts only attempts that reached a transfer. It always looks higher than the per cycle figure.
- Cumulative success
- The chance of a baby across all the embryos from one egg collection, including later frozen transfers.
- Unaffected embryo
- An embryo in which the family fault was not found. It does not mean the embryo will certainly implant.
- Misdiagnosis
- A rare wrong result from the embryo test. It is the reason a confirming test in pregnancy is often offered.
Side by side
Which figures sound good, and which ones matter?
Sounds reassuring
Tells you more
Pregnancy rate per transfer
Live birth rate per attempt started
A clinic-wide average for all ages
Results for women of your own age
Results for all IVF patients
Results for couples using embryo testing
How accurate the test is in general
How the laboratory checks your family's test
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Being straight with you
What this page cannot tell you
It cannot give you your own chances. Those depend on the woman's age, her egg reserve, the partner's sperm, the family fault and the clinic. A fertility specialist can estimate them after the first tests, and a genetic counsellor can explain the inheritance side.
The evidence is thinner than you might expect
Most published PGT-M results come from other countries and cover many different conditions. Figures for couples carrying a cancer gene fault in India are scarce. Studies of children born after embryo testing are reassuring so far, but long-term follow-up is still limited. Treat any single number with care.
Who this does not apply to
Most carriers of a cancer gene fault never use PGT-M, and many have children naturally. If your report shows only a variant of uncertain significance, PGT-M is not possible at all. What your specific variant means is a question for the counsellor who ordered the test.
Deciding to stop after one or two attempts is a reasonable choice, not a failure.Commonly believed
Four things couples expect, and what is actually true
"If we are fertile, the first attempt will work."
Fertility helps, but PGT-M removes some embryos from the pool, and not every transfer implants. Fertile couples still often need more than one attempt.
"More embryos transferred means better chances."
Transferring two raises the risk of twins, which is harder on both mother and babies. Most clinics now transfer one embryo at a time and keep the rest frozen.
"The embryo test is always right."
It is very accurate, but no test is perfect. That is why a confirming test in pregnancy is often offered. Many couples accept it for peace of mind.
"If it does not work, we did something wrong."
Almost always, it is biology and chance. Diet, rest and prayer do not decide whether an embryo implants. Couples should not carry blame for a result nobody controls.
Questions we are asked
Common questions about PGT-M success
How many attempts do most couples need?
It varies widely. Some succeed at the first attempt, others need several, and some stop without a baby. Age and egg numbers predict this better than anything else, so ask the fertility specialist for an estimate once your first tests are back.
Does the biopsy lower the chance of pregnancy?
Taking a few cells from the outer layer at a later stage of growth appears to have little effect on most embryos. A small number do not survive it. Your clinic can tell you its own figures for this.
What if every embryo carries the fault?
It happens, especially when only a few embryos are tested. It is chance, not a sign that the next attempt will go the same way. Couples then decide whether to try again, try another route, or stop.
Is PGT-M less successful than ordinary IVF?
Per attempt, it can be, because some embryos are set aside for carrying the fault. Once an unaffected embryo is transferred, the chance of pregnancy is broadly similar to other frozen transfers of good-quality embryos.
Can a clinic promise us a baby?
No honest clinic will. Be cautious of any clinic that quotes a figure without asking the woman's age or checking her egg reserve. A careful answer with a range is a better sign than a confident single number.
How do couples cope when an attempt fails?
It is often harder than expected, and it can strain a marriage and the wider family. Counselling helps, and so does agreeing in advance how many attempts you will make. Taking a pause between attempts is common.
Should we test the pregnancy as well?
A confirming test is often offered, because embryo testing is very accurate but not perfect. It carries a small risk of its own. Many couples accept it and some decline it. Talk it through with your obstetrician.
Who can give us a realistic picture?
A fertility specialist for your chances, and a genetic counsellor for the inheritance side. Call the CION helpline if you are not sure who to see first, and we will help you plan the right order.
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
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Sources
- Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority — Pre-implantation genetic testing for monogenic disorders (PGT-M) and Pre-implantation genetic testing for chromosomal structural rearrangements (PGT-SR)
- NHS — IVF
- MedlinePlus Genetics — What are the different ways a genetic condition can be inherited?
- NHS — Chorionic villus sampling
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.
Talk to us
Want an honest picture before you commit?
Tell us about the family fault and where you are in planning. We will arrange genetic counselling that sets out your options and what each one realistically offers. One helpline serves every CION centre.