Day 3 Embryo Transfer Vs Day 5 Blastocyst transfer! Which is Better?
- Introduction
- Embryo Growth
- Selecting an Embryo with the Highest Implantation Potential
- How to Decide Which Embryo Transfer is Better?
- Day 3 Vs Day 5 Embryo (Blastocyst culture) Transfer Success Rate
Introduction
IVF-In Vitro Fertilization is one of the most comprehensive yet successive fertility treatments, which assists almost every stage of conception to maximize the chances of achieving a successful pregnancy. To start this multi-stage procedure, fertility doctors prescribe some medicines to the woman undergoing IVF to stimulate her ovaries to produce multiple mature follicles. The eggs will then be retrieved and fertilized in the IVF laboratories where the embryo growth is monitored.
When embryos reach a certain stage of maturation, they will be transferred directly into the woman’s uterus, where the embryo implants and results in a successful pregnancy.
Embryo transfer can be performed either on day-3 or day-5 of embryo growth. Since this is the crucial stage of the IVF treatment, patients should understandably make sure that embryos are transferred at the ideal time.
What is the difference between day-3 and day-5 embryo transfer? Is the embryo transfer day important? which option you can choose?
If these questions sound familiar, then you are in the right place. Here you can learn more about what goes into the making decision regarding day-3 Vs day-5 embryo transfer for IVF patients.
Embryo Growth
criteria as well as morphological parameters that have been invented which help assessing the quality of each embryo.
Some of them include fragmentation, PN-Pronuclear scoring, and cell dividing process. Embryologists and fertility specialists can use this knowledge to determine which embryo is most likely to possess the best development potential.
Day-3 Embryo Transfers
Day-3 Embryo Transfers which is indicated after 72 hours of development may not always give embryologists the correct information.
Embryonic quality, at cleavage stage (up-to day-3), is not a clear predictor for conception success, this is because of the fact that on an average it’s estimated that around 50% of cleavage stage embryos will not reach the next stage that is blastocyst stage. Day5 embryo transfers represent the comprehensive form of embryo selection, with the most specific predictions.
While looking at embryonic health, the parameters that suggest a poorer quality include fragmentation and when it is more than 20% the embryos can be too slow in cleaving, and those embryos with uneven blastomeres.
Embryologists and fertility specialists use these as the guide to help with the embryo selection process. Embryologists also state that even embryos with poor quality traits at day 3, may have the potential to grow and develop into blastocysts that are suitable for both transfer and vitrification.
Day-5 Embryo Transfers
Transferring an embryo at the blastocyst stage allows embryologists to consider the paternal factor. Early stages of embryo development are impacted by maternal influences and as they progress the possible paternal impairments could be discovered such as poor spermatozoa which leads to poor blastocyst formation.
Couples who require PGT-A-preimplantation genetic screening on their embryos, need to be cultivated till the blastocyst stage, given that a blastocyst biopsy is a reliable method to investigate the possibility of aneuploidies or gene mutations.
embryos with fragmentation issues also have survival chances in the uterus.
Patients who have repeated IVF failures while using day-3 embryos can also be offered the option of blastocyst stage transfer.
Day 3 Vs Day 5 Embryo (Blastocyst culture) Transfer Success Rates
While looking at the pregnancy rates following 3 and 5-day embryo transfers, data from various studies show that (Day-5) blastocyst stage embryos do result in a higher conception rate. Out of 51.2% of cleavage stage transfers, about 37% ended with a successful pregnancy. However, out of 11% of blastocyst transfers, about 47.3% ended with a positive test result. .
It is important to discuss this topic with fertility specialists and embryologists in order to find the right solution.
Each patient is different, each situation is different, and every embryo is unique and circumstances can be rarely the same for everyone. Whilst evidence supports that understanding that day-5 transfers do lead to an increased chance of conception.
At MotherToBe fertility center in Hyderabad, we serve infertile patients with world-class IVF and other ART procedures. Dr. Vyjayanthi is the most experienced fertility specialist and has been active in the fertility care field for more than 20 years not only as a clinician in reproductive medicine but also as expert in embryology, with the highest success rates.
Whether you are just to start IVF or in the middle of your IVF journey, we ensure you with the best possible outcomes.
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If you have been struggling to get pregnant, it might be time to look into fertility treatment. to know more about IVF, embryo transfer, and other fertility services offered at MotherToBe, please contact us at your earliest convenience.
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