IVF Program
Blastocyst Culture and Transfer
* In traditional IVF, embryos are transferred on day 3 at the 6-12 cell stage. Blastocyst culture is a relatively new technique in IVF in which embryos are grown in laboratory culture for 5 days prior to being transferred. Whereas 2-4 embryos may be transferred on day 3 (depending on the woman’s age, previous fertility history, and embryo quality), typically only 2 blastocysts (50-150 cell stage) are transferred on day 5. As a result of being able to choose just two blastocysts for transfer, we have been able to decrease the likelihood of higher order multiple pregnancies (triplets or more) while maintaining an equally high pregnancy rate. The capability to successfully perform blastocyst transfer also allows us to perform PGS on the embryos of those selected patients who may need it prior to transfer.
