How long does PGT-A testing take? A concise guide

When planning IVF, your fertility specialist might recommend PGT-A to identify embryos that are less likely to implant or could end up in a miscarriage. PGT-A is a standard part of IVF care today as it reduces uncertainty and improves the chances of a successful pregnancy.

While PGT-A involves additional procedures, costs, and more waiting, many top clinics adopt it in their treatment protocols, especially when dealing with patients of advanced maternal age or those with a difficult fertility history.

So, how long does PGT-A testing take, and what comes next? We'll guide you through the process with realistic timelines to help you prepare for each step.

How long does PGT-A testing take?

In most cases, PGT-A testing takes two to four weeks. This timeline includes the collection of embryo cells, transportation to the laboratory, comprehensive genetic analysis, and the delivery of your final report.

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However, the exact duration of your PGT-A testing depends on several variables unique to your situation, and understanding them will help you form realistic expectations and emotionally prepare for this waiting period. These include:

1. The progress of your IVF cycle

2. Your clinic's protocols

3. Your testing laboratory's workload and location

4. The complexity of the genetic analysis

5. The need to repeat the test

We'll break down each of these below to help you plan for your family-building journey.

1. The progress of your IVF cycle

The timing of your PGT-A testing depends on how far along you are in your current IVF cycle. It usually begins once your embryos reach the blastocyst stage, which is around five to seven days after egg retrieval. Since each embryo develops at its own pace, some might not be ready right away, which can feel like added waiting during an already stressful time.

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If you're choosing to batch embryos from multiple cycles for testing together, this might delay the testing. Even though it requires more waiting, it's often a more cost-effective approach and gives you a better picture by testing more embryos at once.

2. Your clinic's protocols

Every clinic handles PGT-A testing differently. Some offer expedited testing and can deliver results in as fast as 24–48 hours. 

While that sounds great, it usually comes with a higher cost — and a slightly increased chance of inconclusive results, which could lead to more waiting later. Faster testing may limit the time needed for a more thorough analysis.

Not all clinics provide this option, and many fertility specialists recommend sticking with the standard timeline. Though it takes a bit longer, this approach often ensures a more reliable outcome.

3. The testing laboratory's workload and location

Even after your embryos are biopsied, a few logistical factors can affect how long it takes to get your PGT-A results.

For example, some months — like May, August, and November — tend to be especially busy for labs, which can lead to backlogs and several-day delays.

Also, you need to take shipping into account. Most clinics send your embryo samples to specialized PGT labs, and if those labs are across the country (or farther), getting the results might take longer.

In addition, holidays, weather disruptions, or occasional shipping delays can stretch the timeline. As frustrating as it can be, especially when you're already waiting on such important news, knowing what's happening behind the scenes can help you set realistic expectations and ease uncertainty.

4. The complexity of the genetic analysis

Sometimes, your PGT-A results might arrive later than expected because the laboratory is paying special attention to analyzing your embryos properly.

If your embryos show unusual chromosomal patterns — like those associated with Down Syndrome or Turner Syndrome — the lab can spend additional time analyzing them to ensure their interpretation is accurate. Likewise, if biopsy samples contain limited genetic material, the lab may need extra time to carefully amplify the DNA or use specialized techniques to get reliable results.

Though you might feel anxious with each passing day, remember the lab is working hard to provide you with enough reliable information to make significant decisions about your family's future.

5. The need to repeat the test

In 2–10% of cases, PGT-A results come back with “inconclusive” or “no result” for certain embryos. It’s usually because the lab couldn't get enough DNA from the tiny sample, not necessarily because there's an issue with your embryos.

In this case, your fertility specialist might recommend retesting. The clinic will thaw your embryo, take a new sample from a different area, freeze it again, and send the fresh sample for analysis. This typically adds another two to four weeks to your timeline, but it's often worth the wait.

Retesting often reveals that embryos initially marked “inconclusive” are indeed healthy, which can significantly expand your options for building your family.

How does PGT-A affect the IVF timeline?

Source: Kaboompics.com

Here's how PGT-A fits into the complete IVF process so you know what to expect:

• Initial consultation and workup (1–4 weeks): You'll meet with your care team, who'll run baseline tests, review your medical history, and tailor your IVF protocol to include PGT-A considerations.

• Embryo creation (three weeks): You'll take hormone injections for ovarian stimulation, undergo egg retrieval, and your embryos will be created and cultured to the blastocyst stage in the lab.

• Preimplantation genetic testing (2–4 weeks): An embryologist will biopsy your blastocysts, freeze them, and send the samples to a specialized lab for chromosomal analysis. As you wait for results, your uterine lining will be prepared for implantation through either a natural, modified, or medicated frozen embryo transfer (FET) protocol.

• Results interpretation and embryo selection (1–3 days): Your doctor will review your PGT-A results with you and help select which embryo(s) to transfer based on chromosomal normalcy.

• FET (one day): The embryologist will thaw your selected embryo, and your fertility specialist will transfer it to your uterus in a 20-minute, painless procedure.

• Pregnancy test (9–14 days after transfer): About two weeks after your frozen embryo transfer, you'll have a pregnancy test via blood draw to determine if implantation occurred.

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On average, PGT-A testing adds about 2–4 weeks to your IVF timeline compared to a fresh embryo transfer. Most of this extra time comes from waiting for test results and freezing embryos after the biopsy. While waiting can be tough, many people feel that the confidence gained from better embryo selection and the lower risk of miscarriage make the wait worthwhile.

Bonus: Here are alternative embryo testing processes you can consider after PGT-A:

• PGT-P

• PGT-M

• PGT-SR

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What happens after getting your PGT-A results?

Source: Pavel Danilyuk

Receiving your PGT-A results marks both an ending and a new beginning in your fertility journey. While the testing phase is complete, the important decision-making process that will shape your path to parenthood is getting started.

What happens next depends on your specific findings and circumstances, including:

1. Reviewing your results and selecting embryos

2. Additional genetic testing, if needed

3. Getting deeper insights from your PGT-A results

You can learn more about navigating these steps in the following sections.

1. Reviewing your results and selecting embryos

The first step is understanding your results. Your fertility specialist will help you interpret which embryos are euploid, aneuploid, or mosaic and discuss the best candidates for transfer. 

Here is how the embryos will be classified in your report:

Your fertility specialist will thoroughly explain these results and support you in deciding which embryos have the highest chance of success for transfer.

2. Additional genetic testing, if needed

In some cases, PGT-A results may lead to additional genetic testing. If you or your partner have known genetic conditions in your family history, or if something in your medical background raises concerns, your fertility specialist might suggest PGT-M testing to screen for specific inherited disorders. 

Tip 🧬

If you want to get one of the most advanced carrier screening analyses for you and your partner, try Nucleus Family. It’s an at-home all-in-one DNA testing kit that gives your complete health screening, as well as analyzes ~100% of your genome to see if you carry any genetic diseases, including rare hereditary disorders like cystic fibrosis and certain cancers.

You can order one or two DNA kits, the latter at a discounted price of [PRICE.KIT_SOLO.TWO] — all Nucleus reports will be available to you once your cheek swabs are analyzed and you can also opt for further genetic counseling.

Remember that if you go for genetic testing mid-IVF, it typically adds about a month to your timeline. That’s because your physician will use your results to create a custom PGT-M embryo test for your situation. 

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While PGT-M testing will extend your waiting period further, many patients with hereditary conditions find this additional time investment crucial for their peace of mind. PGT-M provides specific information about whether embryos carry genetic variants that could lead to serious inherited disorders — information that standard PGT-A testing doesn't offer.

Bonus: Here's a comparison of PGT tests that you may also need:

• PGT-A vs. PGT-M

• PGS vs. PGD testing

3. Getting deeper insights from your PGT-A results before selecting embryos

The standard report provides limited information for making nuanced selection decisions. The simple classifications of euploid, aneuploid, or mosaic tell you about chromosomal numbers but reveal little about subtle genetic variations that could influence success rates.

You might worry about choosing the “wrong” embryo when faced with multiple normal options. Or, you may wonder if a mosaic embryo could still lead to a healthy pregnancy when it's your best option.

These concerns are completely natural when you've invested so much emotionally, physically, and financially to reach this point, and you want to make the best choice possible. However, standard PGT-A reports don't give you the full picture.

That’s why many parents-to-be turn to more advanced PGT-P screening to support their decision-making.

Unlike other genetic testing methods that either look at one gene or review chromosome count, PGT-P analyzes multiple genetic markers across the genome to estimate risk for common, chronic diseases such as diabetes, schizophrenia, Alzheimer's, and breast cancer. These are conditions that can be inherited from both parents but are expressed later in life. So as would-be parents, you get the subtle differences in health that can lead you to more aligned decisions for your family.

Another way to improve the embryo insights you have is to pair genetic testing with Nucleus Embryo, a genetic optimization software.

Nucleus Embryo builds on your PGT-P results to offer nearly 1,000 additional genetic insights about embryo health, traits, and other predispositions. The platform is designed for parents to use and comes with cutting-edge customization features that help you make a more personalized and confident choice.

Get more clarity with Nucleus Embryo

Nucleus Embryo is a genetic optimization software that uses your embryos’ PGT-P or whole-genome files to add more layers to traditional embryo classifications that only focus on viability.

Nucleus reveals dozens of potential genetic insights for each embryo, from common health conditions and hereditary disorders to physical traits — all in easy-to-understand and comparable terms. Here are some examples of diseases and traits screened:

• Heart conditions

• Neurological and mental health

  • Examples: ADHD, anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, and more

• Rare hereditary conditions like cystic fibrosis and hemochromatosis

• General physical health

  • Examples: Chronic pain, rheumatoid arthritis, and osteoarthritis, asthma, restless leg syndrome, and seasonal allergies, among others

  • Conditions like endometriosis and PCOS in women

• Nutrition and metabolic conditions

  • Examples: Celiac disease and alcohol dependence

• Appearance and traits

  • Examples Eye color, height, hair color, male-pattern baldness, severe acne

Nucleus Embryo insights are rooted in scientific credibility, but its interface is designed to provide a meaningful experience to parents . Its interactive dashboard makes it easier to understand the differences between embryos that may all look “viable” on paper. You can explore, sort, and compare embryos side-by-side to better understand what matters most to you and your family's future. Feel free to share these insights with your fertility specialist to help guide your next step.

Getting started with Nucleus Embryo

To get started with Nucleus Embryo :

1. Ask your clinic for PGT-P testing with LifeView by Genomic Prediction

2. Sign up for Nucleus Embryo during or after you complete your IVF cycle

3. Request your embryos’ PGT-P DNA data from your clinic

4. Upload the data to Nucleus Embryo and analyze the embryo analysis report

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Featured image source: Pixabay