PGT-A and Genetic Testing in Europe: Where It's Allowed

Last updated: February 2026

PGT-A (preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy) screens embryos for chromosomal abnormalities before transfer. It costs €1,500-3,500 on top of the IVF cycle. It’s legal in Spain, the UK, and Greece. It’s banned in Germany, France, and the Netherlands. ESHRE’s draft 2024 recommendations say it should not be used routinely.

The legal status of genetic testing in European fertility clinics is a patchwork that reflects each country’s comfort level with selecting which embryos get a chance at life and which don’t.

Last updated: March 2026. See our main fertility laws overview for all treatment types.

PGT-A vs PGT-M: The Distinction That Matters Legally

PGT-M (preimplantation genetic testing for monogenic/single gene disorders) tests for a specific known genetic condition: cystic fibrosis, Huntington’s, sickle cell, BRCA mutations. One or both parents carry the gene. The test checks whether the embryo inherited it. Almost every European country allows this.

PGT-A tests all embryos for chromosomal number (aneuploidy): too many or too few chromosomes. Down syndrome (trisomy 21), Turner syndrome (monosomy X), and other conditions caused by whole-chromosome errors. PGT-A doesn’t target a specific known gene. It screens everything. This is where the legal divide falls.

The countries that ban PGT-A but allow PGT-M are making a distinction: testing for a condition your family carries is acceptable. Testing all embryos to find the “best” one is not.

Legality by Country

Germany: The Fine Line

Germany’s Embryonenschutzgesetz (1990, amended 2011) draws a precise line. PGT-M is allowed under strict conditions:

• Only where there is a “strong likelihood of passing on a defect” or where “chances of a miscarriage or stillbirth are high for genetic reasons”
• Obligatory counselling before testing
• Each case must be approved by an interdisciplinary ethics committee
• Can only be performed at specifically licensed clinics

PGT-A is not permitted because it goes beyond testing for a specific known disease. Screening all embryos for chromosomal quality is, under German law, a different category of decision than checking whether a specific familial condition was inherited (PMC; The Fertility Talk).

If you live in Germany and want PGT-A, you’re flying to Spain or Czech Republic. The same trip many German patients already make for egg donation.

Switzerland: Allowed Since 2017, With Conditions

Switzerland legalized PGT on 1 September 2017 following a 2015 constitutional referendum and revisions to the Federal Act on Medically Assisted Reproduction (FMedG, 1998 revised 2017). But the conditions are strict:

• PGT is allowed only if the risk of an embryo with an inherited predisposition to a serious disease cannot otherwise be averted
• The serious illness must be likely to manifest before age 50
• No effective therapy to combat the illness is available
• Maximum 12 embryos may be developed per treatment cycle (changed from the previous limit of 3)

Both PGT-M and PGT-A are permitted under these conditions. Full genetic counselling is mandatory (PMC; CHUV).

Gender Selection

Banned for non-medical reasons across the EU. The Council of Europe’s Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine (Oviedo Convention, 1997, Article 14) prohibits sex selection for non-medical purposes. EU Directive 2004/23/EC reinforces this.

Most European countries allow sex selection when there is a risk of sex-linked genetic disorders (hemophilia, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, Fragile X syndrome). The testing identifies which embryos carry the X-linked condition, not which embryos are male or female for preference.

The North Cyprus exception. The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (not an EU member, not internationally recognized as a sovereign state) permits gender selection for “family balancing” under local Ministry of Health regulations. The Republic of Cyprus (South, EU member) prohibits gender selection for social reasons (Cyprus IVF Centre; Dunya IVF).

If you want gender selection in Europe, North Cyprus is the only option. It operates outside EU regulation, which is both the appeal and the risk.

Does PGT-A Actually Work? What ESHRE Says

ESHRE’s draft Good Practice Recommendations for Add-ons in Reproductive Medicine (2024) classified PGT-A as not recommended for routine clinical use:

• “Limited improvement in live birth rate across studies, despite its high cost”
• “Possible reduction in miscarriage and time-to-pregnancy, based on lower quality data in specific patient groups”
• When fewer than 15 eggs are retrieved, PGT-A shows no significant improvement in cumulative live birth rate vs conventional IVF
• The topic generated approximately 10 pages of reviewer commentary, indicating significant professional disagreement

Sources: Remembryo; ESHRE Draft Recommendations.

This matters for patients. PGT-A adds €1,500-3,500 to the cycle cost. If you’re under 38 with a reasonable number of eggs, the evidence does not show it improves your chances of taking a baby home. It may reduce miscarriage rates and the number of transfers needed, but the cumulative outcome over multiple transfers appears similar.

For patients over 40 or those with recurrent implantation failure, the picture is less clear. Some studies show benefit in reducing time to pregnancy by selecting chromosomally normal embryos, but the evidence base is weaker and the debate among clinicians remains active (PMC).

Clinics that aggressively recommend PGT-A to all patients regardless of age or history are selling a service that the evidence doesn’t universally support. Ask your clinic for their rationale specific to your case.

Sources

• PMC: Regulating PGT across the World. PMC
• PMC: Comparative PGD policy in Europe and the USA. PMC
• ESHRE Draft Good Practice Recommendations for Add-ons. ESHRE
• Nature: Dutch National Indications Committee for PGT. Nature
• Oviedo Convention, 1997, Article 14. Council of Europe.

Related research

• PGT-P polygenic embryo screening: what the evidence says: the next step beyond PGT-A, and why it’s even more controversial.
• AI vs embryologists: a manufacturer-funded trial found its own product didn’t work: another add-on that didn’t survive scrutiny.

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