A new npj Genomic Medicine study surveyed 152 U.S. reproductive endocrinology and infertility specialists (REIs) on polygenic embryo screening (PES), an emerging technology that ranks embryos by predicted risks for complex diseases and traits.
General approval was very low – only 12% approve of PES overall
- 77–85% are very or extremely concerned about low predictive accuracy, false expectations, and promoting eugenic thinking
Support increases only when PES is limited to serious health conditions (55–59%) and collapses for physical or behavioral traits (6–7%).
What’s notable is that clinicians remain skeptical even though PES commercialization could financially benefit clinics and providers. The paper explicitly raises concerns that commercial market pressure, rather than medical evidence, could drive adoption, echoing past patterns seen in other reproductive technologies
If the experts who understand and could profit from this technology are this uneasy, how should the public interpret confident commercial offerings?
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41525-025-00530-3
4 Comments
If clinicians themselves don’t fully trust the predictive accuracy of PES, should companies be allowed to offer it **without mandatory, independent genetic counseling**?
Where should the line be drawn between consumer choice and patient protection?
even older forms of pre-implantation testing that test whether or not an embryo has the correct number of chromosomes are notoriously error prone.
Interesting. I faced similar resistance from doctors when I tried to have a vasectomy before having children. Some even refused completely and told me how I should live my life.
**Edit: …Strange. This is a new account and their only history is posting this across several communities.**
**Reddit’s bot screening continues to be inspiring.**
Anyone complaining about eugenics is absolutely free to volunteer themselves to raise kids who are born with terminal and painful genetic abnormalities.
I approach this as I approach abortions. Any chance we have to spare a child being born into this world only to suffer and die is worth it. Even if there’s a margin of error, the risk isn’t worth it to me.
I’m not going to advocate for women to be forced to carry and deliver nonviable pregnancies because it makes me feel good and fuzzy. Let the mothers make the decision themselves about their pregnancies.