In Japan, more and more people are undergoing medical examinations to prevent the passing on of serious diseases to their future children.
The Japanese Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology, which determines which specific diseases are included in the procedure and who is eligible, announced the results of its 2023 review on August 28.
The results showed that scanning for certain diseases was permitted, which was not previously allowed.
The JSOG began to relax the criteria for the examination in 2022.
Preimplantation genetic diagnosis is used to determine the probability that a patient transmits a disease. In vitro fertilized eggs are cultured for several days and some cells are removed to study their genetic information.
Some preimplantation tests are designed to increase the chance of pregnancy and reduce the risk of miscarriage, while others are designed to prevent the future child from inheriting any diseases.
The choice of embryos to be placed in the uterus depends on whether the fertilized eggs develop a hereditary disease or are healthy. This method also raises the ethical question of whether to choose life.
In 1998, the JSOG approved preimplantation testing for genetic diseases, but only for “serious genetic diseases,” and called on its members to adhere to these guidelines.
Each test application is examined individually. The decisive factor for the selection is whether the patient is “seriously ill” or not.
The organization defines this as a condition that significantly impairs daily life or endangers survival before adulthood.
However, in 2022, the JSOG stated that it may accept cases that do not meet its traditional criteria for severe illness, recognizing that the severity of an illness may be interpreted differently depending on the patient’s situation.
In 2023, a total of 72 cases were reviewed and 58 cases were approved under the new policy. Of the remaining applications, three were rejected, two were withdrawn and the remaining nine are still under review.
From 2016 to 2021, the number of cases reviewed averaged more than two dozen per year.
By 2023, that number had tripled. The cases included some diseases not recognized under the old guideline, such as retinoblastoma, and others that would develop later in life.
Kiyoko Kato, chair of the JSOG, stressed at a press conference that the organization “does not make decisions based on disease names.”
“We may receive applications for a variety of diseases in the future, but we will review them taking into account not only the medical scope but also the individual circumstances,” Kato said.