Pre-embryo: therapeutic approaches.

There are potential interventions in the pre-embryo stage in order to improve the clinical results of assisted reproductive technology, live-birth per cycle of treatment, and to prevent the birth of offspring with genetic aberrations. The following therapeutic measures can be potentially applied to the pre-embryo: improvement of culture conditions, pre-embryo cryopreservation, assisted hatching, genetic diagnosis and gene therapy. In order to discuss the parents' rights and duties in applying therapeutic measures to the pre-embryo, it is essential to clarify the ethical and legal dilemmas concerning the status of the pre-embryo.