ATTITUDE OF POTENTIAL USERS IN SICILY TOWARDS PREIMPLANTATION GENETICDIAGNOSIS FOR BETA-THALASSEMIA AND ANEUPLOIDIES

This study aims to report the willingness of different populations of high-risk couples to undergo preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) f or beta-thalassaemia as an alternative to prenatal genetic diagnosis ( PND), and the willingness of infertile couples to undergo PGD for aneu ploidies. An information sheet and questionnaire presenting PGD and PN D procedures were distributed to four population types: 54 high-risk c ouples for beta-thalassaemia coming for their first PND (population A) ; 51 similar couples coming for their second or further PND without pr evious experience of therapeutic abortion (population B-na); 50 simila r couples coming for their second or further PND with previous experie nce of therapeutic abortion for beta-thalassaemia-affected fetus (popu lation B-ab); and 74 infertile couples undergoing routine in-vitro fer tilization (IVF) or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) (populatio n C). Favourable first impressions towards PGD compared with PND were observed in all four populations in the following proportions: 79.6% p opulation A; 76.5% population B-na; 92.0% population B-ab; and 96.0% p opulation C, Willingness to undergo PGD for beta-thalassaemia was as f ollows: 44.4% population A; 47.1% population B-na; and 72.0% populatio n B-ab, We conclude that previous experience of PND for beta-thalassae mia is a crucial point in the willingness to accept the PGD procedure, and that couples belonging to population B-ab are the most suitable t o undergo PGD for beta-thalassaemia. Some 96.0% of infertile couples i n population C mere ready to undergo PGD for aneuploidies.