Organising Previous PGT Reports for a New Clinician

A new clinician cannot interpret a PGT result they cannot trace. Before a first consultation, your job is not to explain what the result means — that is the clinician’s and genetic counsellor’s role — but to make the file readable: which test was run, what the laboratory actually reported, and which embryo each line refers to.

This guide sets out how to assemble that file, what to request from the previous clinic, and what to send ahead so the consultation starts with information rather than paperwork.

Start by naming the test, not the result

PGT is an umbrella term, and the reports behind it answer different questions. Before you sort anything, identify which test each document belongs to.

• PGT-A assesses chromosome number in cells sampled from an embryo. It has limitations and can produce incorrect findings, so a result is not a guarantee of a successful pregnancy or a healthy child (HFEA: PGT-A).
• PGT-M concerns a known monogenic (single-gene) condition.
• PGT-SR concerns chromosomal structural rearrangements.

PGT-M and PGT-SR address different questions, and the relevant history, test design and suitability should be discussed with a treating team and genetic counsellor (HFEA: PGT-M and PGT-SR).

Why the distinction matters for filing: a PGT-M report is usually tied to a specific family variant and a bespoke test design, while a PGT-A report is a chromosome screen of sampled cells. If you hand over a folder labelled only “PGT results”, the new clinician has to reconstruct which question was being asked. Label each document with its test type in your own words at the top, and keep the original wording visible underneath.

If a report uses a term you do not recognise — for example a mosaic finding — resist the urge to summarise it yourself. A mosaic PGT-A result is inferred from intermediate chromosome copy-number findings in a biopsy sample, technical factors can contribute, and a sampled result does not establish the cell composition of the whole embryo; that uncertainty should be discussed with the treating clinician and genetic counsellor (ASRM: mosaic PGT-A results). Copy the exact wording into your file and let the clinician interpret it.

The laboratory report and the clinic summary are not the same document

Patients often hold a short clinic letter that says something like “two embryos suitable for transfer” without the underlying laboratory detail. That letter is useful context, but it is not a substitute for the laboratory report.

Document	What it typically contains	Why the new clinician may want it
Laboratory PGT report	Test type, laboratory name, sample and reporting dates, embryo-level findings in the laboratory’s own terminology	To see the original finding rather than a summary, and to judge what can and cannot be concluded from it
Clinic summary or discharge letter	Cycle context, what was recommended, what was transferred or stored	To connect the laboratory result to the clinical decisions that followed
Embryology / cryopreservation record	Embryo identifiers, freeze dates, storage location	To match each PGT result to a specific embryo that still exists

Ask for the laboratory report itself, not only the clinic’s interpretation of it. If the laboratory report was never given to you, request it in writing from the clinic that commissioned the test. If a document genuinely no longer exists, say so plainly in your file — a labelled gap is more useful to a clinician than a silent one.

Build a matching table for embryo identifiers

This is the step most patients skip, and it is the one that makes a PGT file usable. Laboratory reports refer to embryos by internal identifiers, and those identifiers may not match the numbers used in conversation at your clinic (“embryo 1”, “the good one”). Without a bridge between the two, a result cannot be reliably linked to a stored embryo.

Create a simple table, one row per embryo, using only what your documents actually state:

• Laboratory embryo ID — exactly as printed on the PGT report
• Clinic or freeze ID — as printed on the cryopreservation record, if different
• Biopsy date — when the sample was taken
• Report date — when the laboratory issued the result
• Transfer or storage status — transferred, stored, or not used, as documented
• Source document — which file each entry came from

Leave a cell blank rather than guessing. If two documents use different identifiers and you cannot tell whether they refer to the same embryo, flag that row as unresolved and ask the previous clinic to confirm the mapping in writing. Do not merge rows on the assumption that dates are close.

If your records include stored embryos and you are considering a future transfer, it is worth confirming storage details alongside the PGT file — see which stored-embryo details to confirm before returning for transfer. For the wider embryology paperwork, organising embryology reports before changing IVF clinics covers the non-PGT documents that sit alongside these reports.

A dated checklist for assembling the file

Work through this in order. The sequence matters because each step depends on the one before it.

1. List every PGT-related document you hold, including letters, PDFs, portal downloads and printed reports. Note the date on each.
2. Label each by test type (PGT-A, PGT-M or PGT-SR) using the report’s own wording, and mark any document where the test type is unclear.
3. Separate laboratory reports from clinic summaries so the original findings are not buried inside interpretation.
4. Request missing originals from the previous clinic or laboratory, in writing, and record the date you asked.
5. Build the embryo identifier table and mark unresolved matches.
6. Write a one-page chronology: cycle start, biopsy, report issue, transfer or freeze, and any later discussion. A dated sequence helps a new clinician see what happened when — the approach in organising the dates of previous fertility tests applies directly here.
7. Add a short cover note stating what is included, what is missing, and what you would like discussed.

Keep file names consistent, for example 2023-05_PGT-A_lab-report.pdf, so a clinician opening a folder can see at a glance what each item is. If documents are in another language, ask the issuing clinic whether an English version exists before arranging any translation, and note in the cover letter which documents are translations.

What to send the new clinician before the appointment

A short, specific message works better than a large attachment dump. Ask which documents they want, in what format, and by when — and ask it early enough that records can be requested if something is missing.

• Which PGT documents do you need: the laboratory report, the clinic summary, or both?
• Do you want the embryo identifier and storage records at the same time?
• Is there a preferred file format or secure upload route, and is email acceptable?
• Would a one-page chronology and cover note be helpful, or do you prefer the raw reports only?
• If a document cannot be obtained, what alternative would you accept?
• Should the genetic counselling discussion happen before or alongside the consultation?

These are questions about records and process, and they are appropriate to send before you are a patient. Questions about what a result means for your diagnosis, options, risks or individual chances belong in the consultation itself, with the clinician and genetic counsellor who can interpret the original report.

If the consultation is part of a broader review of a previous cycle, the preparation list in questions and records to prepare for a previous-cycle review helps you place the PGT file alongside stimulation, monitoring and transfer records. When the file is ready to hand over, what to confirm when handing IVF records to a new clinic covers recipient, method and confirmation of receipt.

Where coordination helps, and where it stops

Assembling a PGT file is mostly administrative, and that is the part a coordination service can support: organising existing records into a dated checklist, drafting document requests to the previous clinic, tracking which items are outstanding, and coordinating how records are sent to an agreed recipient by an agreed method. The same support applies to appointment and remote-consultation requests, and to follow-up questions after you return home.

The boundary is interpretation. Clinicians and genetic counsellors interpret PGT results and advise on diagnosis, options and individual chances; a coordinator does not diagnose, prescribe or tell you what a result means. Sharing records also requires your agreement on who receives them and how.

A useful deliverable looks like this: a dated index of documents held, a list of outstanding requests with the date each was sent, an embryo identifier table with unresolved rows flagged, and a short question list for the consultation. That package lets a new clinician spend the appointment on your case rather than on reconstructing your file.