Blastocyst culture and transfer is a product that comes under assisted reproductive technology (ART), which enhances or increases the success rates of in vitro fertilization (IVF). During this procedure, fertilized eggs are left in the laboratory for five to six days for culturing until they reach the blastocyst stage, which is a more advanced stage of development characterized by a higher cell count and differentiated structure. This extended period helps the specialist select the best embryo that has the highest chance of pregnancy or implantation potential. When the blastocysts are transferred to the uterus, it likely increases the chances of successful implantation in the uterine lining. The most effective advantage of blastocyst culture transfer is that it does not require the need for multiple embryo transfers, thus lowering the risk of multiple pregnancies. In other terms, the procedure involves carefully selecting and transferring one or two of the healthiest blastocysts in the woman’s uterus using a thin catheter.
What are the Advantages of Blastocyst Culture and Transfer?
There are several advantages of blastocyst culture and transfer that help increase the success rates of IVF procedures. Below are some of them:
Higher Implantation Rate:
The very first advantage that blastocyst culture provides is the increase in the rate of implantation. One of the reasons for unsuccessful IVF procedures is improper implantation or failed implantation. But, by including blastocyst culturing, doctors increase the success rates of IVF. Blastocysts are more developed and healthier and have a higher potential for successful implantation. This extended culture period involved in this procedure, allows embryologists to select the best embryos with the best developmental potential, leading to higher implantation rates.
Improved Embryo Selection:
Another benefit that blastocyst culturing provides is the best embryo selection. Blastocyst culturing requires time, hence by reaching the blastocyst stage embryologists can observe the key developments, such as the formation of inner cell mass and the trophectoderm. This selection process helps them to choose the best and healthiest embryo that reduces the likelihood of transferring embryos that do not implant or lead to miscarriage.
Reduced Risk of Multiple Pregnancies:
While blastocyst culturing, embryologists discover the healthiest embryos that can be used for pregnancy. Since only a single embryo is implanted in the uterus there are no chances of having multiple pregnancies. Multiple pregnancy is a condition where the woman gets pregnant by twins or triplets. In IVF, there are risks of multiple pregnancies since more than one eggs are used for fertilization and implanted too. This is done to increase the chances of pregnancy and make the IVF procedure successful.
Natural Selection of Embryos:
The extended period involved in blastocysts stage acts as a natural selection process. Embryos that have some defect or are poor in health do not reach the blastocyst stage. In other terms, an embryo that survives for a longer duration in the lab is the most viable embryo that can be transferred. This process replicates the natural process that occurs in the body, where only the healthiest embryos progress to implantation.
How is Blastocyst Transfer Done?
Blastocyst transfer is a similar procedure to In Vitro fertilization (IVF). After the egg is fertilized with the sperm and left for culturing it then undergoes blastocyst culturing. The age of the embryo during implantation is the sole difference between the blastocyst transfer and a standard IVF cycle procedure. In normal IVF procedures, the age of the embryo is nearly four days old, while on the other hand, the age of the embryo in the blastocyst transfer is six days old. Below are the steps involved in blastocyst transfer;
Egg Collection:
The very first step in the blastocyst transfer is egg collection. The eggs are collected from the female’s uterus or the donor takes no more than 30 minutes and is painless. Here in this process, eggs are extracted from fully developed follicles utilizing a scanning probe.
Fertilization:
After the eggs are harvested and sperm are collected from the male partner, they are brought together for fertilization.
Lab Incubation:
After fertilization, they are kept in the lab incubator to reach their blastocyst stage. The embryos are more likely to resist and thrive in a uterine environment after reaching the six-day mark in an incubator. The best embryo is selected for implantation and the rest of them are crypto-preserved for future use.
Blastocysts Transfer:
Blastocysts are the stage of the embryo when it is six days old. This stage is considered the best stage when the embryo should be transferred to the uterus. An embryologist carefully inserts the blastocyst into the uterus once it has grown properly and is robust enough to get implanted without any complexities and risks.
Pregnancy Test:
The patient will be asked to undergo a pregnancy test about two weeks after the IVF journey to check whether the blastocyst transfer was successful or not. Either a normal pregnancy test would be taken or an ultrasound is done when the patient is six weeks pregnant.
What Risks Does Blastocyst Culture Involve?
Although the chances of complexities are very rare in the case of blastocyst transfer, there may be some risks that can hamper the success rates of blastocyst transfer. One of the common risks that is involved in blastocyst transfer is the possibility that some embryos won’t make it through five days of culture outside the human body. As a result, only a few embryos are left for implantation or freezing. There are only 5% of couples who experience unsuccessful results in blastocyst transfer. Here the embryo ceases maturing and therapy ends without IVF embryo transfer.
Blastocyst transfer is an effective method to increase the chances of a successful IVF procedure. Incorporating this procedure in general IVF procedure can be very helpful for the embryologists as well as parents. Ganga Laxmi IVF with its team of experts is able to provide the best blastocyst transfer services to needy patients. Considering us can bring you one step closer to your dream of becoming a parent