Clinics will offer genetic screening to cut miscarriages

Two fertility clinics are to offer women the chance to have their embryos tested for genetic abnormalities. The test is part of an attempt to cut the miscarriage rate among older women.

The tests can identify embryos that have the wrong number of chromosomes and would result in babies suffering genetic disorders such as Down's syndrome. By discarding these embryos, doctors hope to give couples undergoing fertility treatment more chance of a successful pregnancy.

The procedure, costing about £1,500, will be particularly valuable for women in their late 30s and 40s, who are more likely to have embryos with chromosomal problems. As a result, they find it more difficult to become pregnant and have a higher miscarriage rate. The technique could also be useful for women who are not infertile but have a history of recurrent miscarriage.

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), which has licensed the clinics – one in Nottingham, the other in London – for "pre-implantation genetic screening", denied it was a step towards "designer babies". Suzi Leather, chairman of the HFEA, said: "It's about trying to avoid chromosomal abnormalities and also, importantly, the emotional and physical distress of miscarriage."

But a spokesman for the Protection of Unborn Children said: "It really does seem to be the next step on the road to eugenic selection."

One in six pregnancies ends in miscarriage but the rate can reach 40 per cent among women over 40, who may have chromosomal abnormalities in up to 70 per cent of embryos created by IVF.

Dr Simon Fishel, director of the Centre for Assisted Reproduction at Park Hospital, Nottingham, said screening would start in November. He said at least 50 couples were on the waiting list for the tests which will be offered initially to three groups of women – "those who have IVF but never get a pregnancy, women who have recurrent miscarriages and women in the older age group, over 38". Dr Fishel added: "Women who are not infertile could also use IVF so they could have their embryos screened, although they would have to weigh up the costs."

A licence has also been granted to the Assisted Reproduction and Gynaecology Centre in London, which is headed by Dr Mohammed Taranissi. Until now, clinics have only been allowed to screen embryos for single genetic defects when a condition runs in the family and not to screen on a random basis.

Some embryologists think the new technique, called aneuploidy screening, could eventually become a routine test for older women.

A spokeswoman for the HFEA said it was unclear how many fertile women would pay for the procedure as a precaution. Dismissing protests that it was unethical, she said: "What we are allowing is a technique to prevent children being born with genetic diseases and increasing a women's chances of carrying a pregnancy to a successful conclusion. It is a bit flip to call it designer babies."