What Genetics Really Means for IVF, Donors, and Embryos
Genetics touches nearly every part of the family-building journey, yet for most people it feels confusing, intimidating, and filled with unknowns.
In this conversation, Eloise Drane sits down with Gina Davis, a genetic counselor with more than 20 years of experience in reproductive genetics, IVF, donor conception, and embryo donation. Gina brings rare insight as both a clinician and someone who has personally navigated IVF and become a known embryo donor.
Gina shares what intended parents, donors, and professionals need to understand about carrier screening, family history, genetic risk, and how testing fits into a fertility plan. She breaks down common misconceptions, explains why no genetic picture is ever “perfect,” and highlights the biggest gaps she sees inside fertility clinics today.
They explore the realities of embryo testing, including PGTA, mosaicism, false positives, and how to evaluate results when embryos are limited or labeled “abnormal.” Gina also explains how patients can advocate for themselves and why genetics should be values-driven rather than fear-driven.
By the end, listeners will walk away with clarity, confidence, and a better understanding of the questions to ask, the decisions only they can make, and how to navigate genetics without feeling overwhelmed.
You can’t control everything, but you can be informed.
“We’re all perfectly imperfect when it comes to genetics.” – Gina Davis
Guest Bio:
Gina Davis is a genetic counselor who has worked in the reproductive medicine space for over 20 years. A few years into her career, she also became an IVF patient, and later, a known embryo donor. This experience has shaped her lens of best practices and how professionals can work together to improve the lives of our patients and the families we help create. Gina spent the first 9 years of her career as a genetic counselor at the REI and reproductive genetics program at UCSF. Gina now leads a team of genetic counselors at her private practice, Advocate Genetics, which provides nationwide virtual genetic counseling for fertility patients, gamete donors, and embryo donors. Gina is also a co-founder of Empower with Moxi – https://empowerwithmoxi.com, an educational, support, matching and journey management program with the central aim of empowering choice and understanding in embryo donation.
You’ll hear about:
Why genetics matters in fertility care
Gina’s IVF and embryo donation journey
Carrier screening basics
Family history vs genetic testing
Donor genetic evaluations
Understanding PGTA and mosaicism
Limits of embryo testing
Making values-driven decisions
Red flags in clinic genetic counseling
Where to start when feeling overwhelmed
Episode Resources:
Advocate Genetics - https://advocategenetics.com...
Chapters
(00:00:00) - Welcome to the Fertility Cafe(00:01:15) - Fertility Cafe: Gina Davis Discusses Genetics(00:02:47) - Teaching in the world of genetics and reproductive health(00:06:33) - Inventing the genetic counselor(00:08:06) - Do genetic counselors do the right thing for couples?(00:16:44) - Carbon Screening and Genetic Mapping(00:21:11) - What are some of the biggest gaps(00:25:05) - PGT A, Down Syndrome Screening(00:31:13) - Does testing embryos help with egg donation?(00:35:23) - Choosing the embryo transfer based on genetic findings(00:37:51) - Questions parents should ask their fertility clinic before doing IVF or embryo(00:43:48) - Do I need genetic screening for my eggs?(00:45:41) - Gina on the Genetics of Embryo Donation(00:48:22) - Interviewing Elle
