What is Blastocyst Embryo Transfer?

Blastocyst Embryo Transfer is a new assisted reproductive technology that has been combined with in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment to increase pregnancy rates while at the same time virtually eliminating the risk of multiple pregnancies. Few years ago during IVF treatment, the embryos were transferred immediately to the uterus, due to the reason that embryos did not survive much longer than three days. Today, with the help of Blastocyst Embryo Transfer technology, doctors are able to grow embryos in a much more efficient way and select the best embryos around day five post fertilization and transfer these embryos into the uterus. This technology has been reported to increase the pregnancy rate in selected patients by almost double.

How it Works?

With Blastocyst Embryo Treatment, the unfertilized eggs (known as oocytes) are retrieved from the ovary during IVF treatment. Oocytes are then fertilized in state-of-the-art IVF lab for creating an embryo. The embryos are then allowed to advance to the blastocyst stage over a period of 5-6 days instead of usually transferred to the uterus after 3 days which is done case during traditional IVF treatment. The embryo must reach the blastocyst stage in order to attach to the uterine wall during unassisted fertilization process. The embryos are implanted in the uterus during this same stage of development during blastocyst transfer IVF treatment and this is also considered as a more natural implantation method.

Embryo Selection

As the embryos are allowed to develop gradually to a blastocyst stage prior to implantation, the embryologists can able to select those embryos most likely to results in a successful pregnancy. It is most likely for a number of embryos to stop growing prior to Blastocyst Embryo Treatment process. Few embryos may exhibit greater development potential than others. While not every embryo that reaches the blastocyst stage continues to grow in further stages, the probability it will do so is greatly increased. This is also not possible for every embryo that reaches the blastocyst stage continues to grow in further stages, and the probability it will do so is very high. There is a greater possibility of success linked with blastocyst embryo transfer than with other methods by waiting to analyze which embryos have the capability to reach the blastocyst stage and applying other condition during the embryo selection process.

Reducing the Likelihood of Multiple Births

Multiple embryos are typically implanted in the uterus during standard IVF treatment.  This is done to resolve the situations when some embryos may stop growing during the blastocyst or subsequent stages.  As not every embryos will grow to maturity, transfer of multiple embryos may helps increase the chance of high pregnancy rate during IVF procedures. However, regardless the statistical probability that not every embryos will grow to maturity, multiple embryos may continue to grow in the uterus, which can result in potentially dangerous multiple births.  But it is possible to see which embryos grow past the blastocyst stage before they are transferred to the uterus during IVF treatment with Blastocyst Embryo Treatment. This suggests that only 1 or 2 embryos (in most cases) can be transferred each of which has a greater likelihood of successful pregnancy.

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