BLASTOCYTE CULTURE AT SRUSHTI HOSPITAL & TEST

TUBE BABY CENTER, AURANGABAD

BLASTOCYTE CULTURE

 In this technique, the egg is fertilized in the lab and is kept

there for 4-6 days where it gets converted into the group of cells
which is larger than embryo known as BLASTOCYST.
 Then this blastocyst is directly implanted into the womb in
order to conceive.
 The biggest advantage of this technique is, it reduces the risk of
multiple pregnancies also it is easy to determine the robust embryos
after the developing 4-6 days & hence only the competent embryos
are transferred to the uterus.

What is a blastocyst?

 A blastocyst is a human embryo that’s five, six or seven days

old.
 Until fairly recently, day-3 embryos were routinely transferred
into the womb during IVF treatment.
 Most clinicians now believe that transferring better-developed
embryos – i.e. those that have reached the blastocyst stage – makes
pregnancy more likely.

What does a blastocyst look like?

 Under the microscope, a blastocyst is markedly different from a

day-3 embryo.
 There’s a fluid-filled cavity in the middle called the blastocoel.
 Another area, housing a dense collection of cells, is called the
inner cell mass and will become the fetus.
 The third assortment of cells, near the central cavity, will form
the placenta.
 Is blastocyst transfer preferable to a day-3 transfer?

 There’s no hard-and-fast rule: every patient is different.

 But the consensus is that an embryo that survives for five days
or more, particularly a top-grade one, is probably more viable for
implantation.
 Many younger embryos don’t develop to five days and their
future is harder to assess.
 So blastocyst transfers are, generally speaking, more likely to
succeed than transfers using younger embryos.

Any other advantages in transferring blastocysts?

 Transferring blastocysts can make things more straightforward

for implantation.
 In non-IVF reproduction, a day-2 embryo (usually comprising
four cells) will still be rolling down the fallopian tube towards the
uterus.
 Putting a blastocyst directly into the womb on day five or six is
an easier prospect for the now highly receptive uterus.
 Also, genetic testing such as PGD is more accurately carried out
on blastocysts.

Why don’t all IVF patients use blastocysts and ditch day-3
transfers?

 You may not get there. Depending on factors like your medical
history, age and the number and quality of embryos created in your
IVF cycle, your consultant may feel it’s safer to transfer a younger
embryo.
 Better to put in a tiddly one than none at all.

So do blastocysts lead to more IVF pregnancies?

 In certain groups of women: yes.

 If you’re under 35, the statistics say that live birth rates after
blastocyst transfer are higher.
 Clinic data in the UK and across Europe shows that blastocyst
transfers are on the rise, see the latest report from the HFEA.

Are there any drawbacks with blastocyst transfers?

One disadvantage is that you may have fewer or no surplus embryos

to freeze. The freezing of embryos for a second attempt is often
tactically overlooked by IVF patients. The fact is that frozen embryo
transfers, particularly those using blastocysts, are getting more
successful. If you have two blastocysts, freezing one and transferring
the other may be sensible for certain patients.
Also, not all clinics do blastocyst culturing. And those that do will
probably charge you for it. Some clinics do it more skillfully than
others – quality control and the correct culturing techniques are
essential. Inspect your clinic’s facilities and insist on seeing its
blastocyst success rates.

Do I transfer one blastocyst or two?

 Hot topic Recent research on selective single blastocyst transfer

says that the likelihood of live birth from one transferred blastocyst
is virtually the same as for two. But another study said this only
applies to younger women and when the first cycle uses fresh
embryos and the second uses frozen ones.
 However, 34 percent of those younger women who had two
blastocysts transferred ended up with twins. Just seven percent had
twins from a single blastocyst transfer. So multiple pregnancies are
the continued concern.
 If you choose to have your IVF abroad at our partner clinic, and
you have several cultured blastocysts, you have the final say on how
many to transfer.

Twins after a single blastocyst transfer what’s going on?

 Blastocysts can split, usually after transfer.
 Identical twins are not uncommon.
 Many couples can live with that.
 he most dramatic scene is if both blastocysts split and progress
to live births.
 Quadruplets, anyone? (This is very rare.)

So are blastocysts a good thing or not?

 The key point about blastocysts is that multiple births are less
common than with younger transfers.
 The transfer of one good-quality blastocyst is often
recommended.
 That said, the one-embryo-only drive has been watered down
recently in the UK following a court ruling effectively supporting
older IVF patients rights to transfer two.