What is Blastocyst Culture and Transfer?
Blastocyst culture and transfer is a vital technique developed for in vitro fertilization (IVF). This process increases pregnancy rates while lowering the risk of multiple pregnancies.
In a standard IVF procedure, the embryos are cultured for two to three days in the laboratory under very strictly controlled conditions. Then we transfer them into the woman’s uterus.
By allowing the embryos to culture for five or six days, some embryos will grow to the blastocyst stage (large embryos of 150 cells having a cavity and a cover called zona and trophectoderm).
This helps Dr. Rainee Agrawal to determine, with greater certainty, which embryos have a better potential for implantation and ultimately pregnancy.
Hence, it is possible to select the best one or two blastocysts with blastocyst culture rather than two or three early embryos to transfer to the uterus. It greatly reduces the rate of risky multiple births.
What are the advantages of Blastocyst Culture and Transfer?
- During Blastocyst implantation, the endometrium is synchronized with the developmental stage of the embryo.
- Blastocyst transfer results in a better clinical pregnancy as well as a live birth rate.
- It gives better results to patients who have undergone several unsuccessful IVF procedures before.
- We recommend a single blastocyst transfer in the first attempt. Additional embryos are frozen to be used in the next cycle, called the frozen thaw cycle.
Also, this technique allows the couple to opt for preimplantation genetic testing before freezing the blastocyst. After the biopsy, the blastocysts are frozen on individually numbered straws. It takes around 1 to 2 months for the report to come, and then we transfer the euploid (genetically normal) blastocyst. This singleton pregnancy gives a very high pregnancy rate and minimizes miscarriage.
Can everybody undergo IVF with blastocyst transfer?
Patients with fewer retrieved eggs, fewer fertilized, or fewer dividing embryos by day three in culture do not benefit from using blastocyst culture.
To know whether you are the right candidate for blastocyst culture and transfer in India, you can book an appointment with Dr. Rainee Agrawal.
Prenatal sex determination & sex selection is illegal in India and not done here. It is a punishable offence.