Patient guide
The Reticular Infertility & Pregnancy Loss Panel: What It Screens and the Evidence Behind It
Reticular Team
Patient Education
If chromosome testing and a standard workup have come back "normal" after infertility or pregnancy loss, a reasonable next question is whether a single-gene cause is hiding in a layer those tests were not built to see. Reticular's Infertility & Pregnancy Loss Panel is designed to look at exactly that layer.
Let's walk through what the panel is, the evidence behind it, and — just as importantly — what it is not. It is a research-backed screen, not a diagnosis, and it will not explain every loss.
The short answer
The panel is a parent-only saliva screen covering 750+ genes associated with infertility and recurrent pregnancy loss — a focused search for rare reproductive-gene variants that chromosome testing, standard carrier screening, and a routine loss workup may not fully assess. It analyzes the intended parents, not an embryo or a prior pregnancy, and genetic counseling is included.
What the panel is
- Parent-only, from saliva. It reviews DNA from one or both intended parents — not a tested embryo and not miscarriage tissue. That means it can be used while trying to conceive or alongside IVF.
- Focused on reproductive genes. It targets 750+ genes tied to fertility, embryo development, and pregnancy viability, including maternal-effect genes such as TUBB8, NLRP7, and PADI6.
- Counseling included. A genetic counselor helps interpret a result before you have to act on it.
For current options and pricing, see the For Patients page and the Infertility & Pregnancy Loss Panel.
Not sure which test fits your situation?
Take the 2-minute quiz →The science it draws on
The panel's rationale rests on a rapidly growing body of reproductive genetics. A peer-reviewed resource called the Human Intolerome catalogs 934 genes associated with miscarriage, stillbirth, neonatal death, or lethality across prenatal and postnatal stages (Genetics in Medicine, 2026). Notably, when its recessive genes were compared with a standard carrier-screening list, only 45 of 566 overlapped — evidence that reproductive-viability genes and carrier-screening genes are largely different landscapes.
Complementary work shows the same theme from other angles. A 14-center study of 3,627 selected women with repeated IVF or ICSI failure from oocyte or embryo defects reported positive findings in 479 (about 13%) across 37 established genes (Cell Genomics, 2026). And a separate trio-sequencing study of 118 selected families with unexplained recurrent euploid loss found pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants in 21 (Aminbeidokhti et al., medRxiv, 2025; preprint). This all builds on the framework synthesized by Sang, Ray, and Wang in their 2023 Science review of human infertility genetics.
Read these numbers carefully
Every figure above comes from a selected research cohort — people already chosen for repeated IVF failure or unexplained euploid loss. They show that single-gene findings exist in this space; they are not the expected yield for any one person, and none of them establish that testing improves live-birth rates.
What a result can add
The value is not simply a larger gene count. A well-supported finding can identify a specific inheritance mechanism that changes the next question a family and care team can ask:
- Look beyond chromosome count. A pregnancy or embryo can be euploid and still carry a single-gene variant that disrupts development. The panel examines a layer PGT-A and karyotyping were not designed to resolve.
- Clarify inheritance. A finding can distinguish dominant, recessive, X-linked, or maternal-effect mechanisms, making recurrence counseling more specific than "unexplained."
- Create a targeted next step. After clinical confirmation, a finding may support testing of a partner or relatives, or a discussion about options for a future pregnancy — depending on the gene.
What it is not
- Not a replacement for carrier screening, genetic testing of miscarriage tissue, parental karyotyping when indicated, or the standard recurrent-loss evaluation.
- Not a test of a prior pregnancy or a specific embryo — it analyzes parent saliva.
- Not a diagnosis, not an established explanation rate for two miscarriages, and not evidence that testing improves live-birth outcomes.
Who it is for
It is most relevant for people weighing additional genetic review after recurrent pregnancy loss or infertility, especially confirmed euploid loss or repeated early embryo arrest, and for partners who want to understand how a parent panel differs from carrier screening and miscarriage-tissue testing. Before testing, it is worth reviewing which standard evaluations you have already completed, asking which genes and variant classes are reported, and discussing in advance what a positive, negative, or uncertain result could change — with a qualified clinician or genetic counselor.
To compare the panel directly with the tests it sits beside, read Karyotype vs. Reproductive Gene Panel and Reproductive Gene Screening vs. Carrier Screening.
FAQ
Common questions
It is a parent-only saliva screen covering 750+ genes associated with infertility and recurrent pregnancy loss. It looks for rare reproductive-gene variants that chromosome testing, standard carrier screening, and a routine loss workup may not fully assess, and it includes genetic counseling. It analyzes the intended parents, not an embryo or a prior pregnancy.
The peer-reviewed Human Intolerome catalogs 934 viability-associated genes, and studies of selected cohorts have found single-gene causes in people with repeated IVF failure (about 13% of 3,627 selected women) and unexplained recurrent euploid loss (21 of 118 selected families). These come from selected research groups and are not the expected yield for any one person, nor do they prove testing improves live-birth rates.
No. It is designed to complement them, not replace them. It does not substitute for carrier screening, genetic testing of miscarriage tissue, parental karyotyping when indicated, or the standard recurrent-pregnancy-loss evaluation.
Sometimes, but not always. A well-supported finding can identify a mechanism and clarify inheritance, but the panel does not explain every loss, a finding is not a diagnosis, and there is no established explanation rate for two miscarriages. Results should be interpreted with a genetic counselor.
See if screening fits your situation.
Compare one- and two-partner plans and what each one includes.