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FERTILE women with genes that predispose them to breast and ovarian cancers are using IVF treatment at two Melbourne clinics to select embryos without the genes.

In a new trend that has heightened ethicists' fears of ''designer babies'', Australian IVF specialists say women are spending thousands of dollars on a technique called preimplantation genetic diagnosis to select embryos without the same genetic issues.

The women involved carry mutations of the BRCA 1 and BRCA 2 genes, which give them a 60-80 per cent chance of getting breast cancer in their lifetime.

Those with BRCA 1 also have a 30-60 per cent chance of getting ovarian cancer while those with BRCA 2 have a 5-20 per cent chance of getting ovarian cancer.

Couples where one partner has such a mutation have a 50 per cent chance of having a baby with the same mutation so the technique allows them to cut this risk to between 0.1 per cent and 10 per cent depending on the accuracy of the diagnostic test developed for their specific mutation.

Doctors from Victoria's leading IVF clinics...