A method for determining the likely developmental fate of an early embryocomprisesmeasuring the expression level of a gene selected from the group consisting ofCDKN1C,IGF2R, MAGEL2, MKRN3, NAP1L5, NDN, PEG3, PHLDA2, TSSC4, and UBE3A genes,wherein only early embryos that do not show an increased expression level ofthe MKRN3,NDN, PEG3, PHLDA2, TSSC4, or UBE3A gene, or embryos that do not show adecreasedexpression level of the CDKN1C, IGF2R, MAGEL2, or NAP1L5 gene are selected forplanting into a suitable uterus for further development. Also disclosed aremethods forincreasing the likelihood of an early embryo to develop successfully into full-term pregnancy,wherein a suitable amount of siRNA corresponding to the PHLDA2 gene isinjected into afertilized egg which is in turn cultured further and planted into a suitableuterus.
