What is Blastocyst Culture?
The word ‘Blastocyst’ refers to the stage that the human embryo reaches approximately five to six days after fertilization. It is the stage of development that the embryo must reach before it can hatch and implant in the lining of the uterus. The blastocyst stage embryo has many cells (typically between 50 and 200) and the cells are organized into two types: 1. Trophectoderm whose main role is in implantation 2. inner cell mass which will give rise to the fetus itself.
Why extend the time that the Embryos are Cultured in the laboratory?
It is known that many embryos, irrespective of their appearance, are destined to arrest at early stages (many will arrest for example between day three and day four). Extending the in vitro culture period beyond those early stages gives the embryologist an opportunity to identify which (if any) of a group of embryos have the best potential for implantation, by identifying those that form a normal blastocyst in culture.
Transfer of embryos at the blastocyst stage may also provide better coordination between the embryo and the uterus, by putting the embryo back in the right place (the uterus) at the right time (blastocyst stage).
In the female body, the egg is normally fertilized at the top of the fallopian tube and embryo development continues as it moves towards the uterus. The embryo reaches the uterus after about five days as the embryo is forming a blastocyst. Transferring blastocyst stage embryos in IVF is thought to enhance the chance of pregnancy by more closely mimicking the timing of the ‘normal’ situation than a transfer of cleavage stage embryos to the uterus.
So, What are the advantages of Blastocyst Culture ?
Blastocyst stage embryos are considered to have a higher potential for implantation than earlier embryo stages.
Extended culture provides the embryologist a better opportunity to separate those embryos that form a blastocyst in vitro and have a good chance of implantation, from those that are destined to arrest at early stages. Therefore, Blastocysts are considered to be a more ‘select’ group of embryos with a higher chance of pregnancy per embryo.
Perhaps the best way to show this, is to give an example :
Consider a couple that has ten eggs retrieved and of which eight have fertilised the following day. It is impossible to determine at this point which of these eight are most likely to implant and develop into a baby. On day three of development, six of the eight embryos seem to have developed into good quality normal embryos. All six good embryos look like they have the same potential for implantation and it is difficult to select ‘the one’ embryo for transfer.
If the culture period in the laboratory is extended, this allows the natural selection process to continue. By day five, of the six embryos that looked good on day three, only three are still viable and have formed a normal blastocyst. Therefore, embryologist has a much better idea as to the best embryos to transfer or cryopreserve compared to day two or day three.
Blastocyst culture and transfer provides the opportunity to reduce the number of embryos transferred and hence, the incidence of multiple births.
As blastocyst culture can help to determine which embryos have the best chance of being able to implant. The number of embryos that we replace into the uterus can be reduced without compromising the chance of pregnancy. Therefore, this reduces the risk of a multiple pregnancy.
Transfer is the disadvantage of Blastocyst Culture?
1. The possibility of no embryos for transfer.
There is also the possibility that extended culture shows that none of a group of embryos is destined to develop to the blastocyst stage. In this case, the IVF cycle may end without an embryo transfer at all.
For some patients with poor quality embryo development (a condition that is programmed into the genome of many infertile women), even with the best culture conditions, the embryos may be better off going directly into the fallopian tube immediately. In other words, there is always still a possibility that some embryos may not survive the “in vitro” conditions, but would have gone on to become a baby, had they been transferred to the uterus earlier, on day 2 or day 3.
2. Reduced number of surplus embryos for cryopreservation.
It is possible to successfully cryopreserve blastocyst stage embryos. However, as extended culture filters out a lot of embryos that are not destined to progress beyond early stages, it is likely that the number of surplus embryos available for freezing will be reduced following extended culture.
Is Blastocyst Transfer suitable for me?
At Global IVF Fertility Center, we use a very individual, tailor-made approach for each patient and each IVF cycle, to decide if blastocyst culture is going to be beneficial to the outcome. We have developed our own algorithms to make a decision regarding blastocyst culture for each IVF/ICSI cycle.
We are currently recommending blastocyst transfer to most patients who have a reasonable chance of having blastocyst development. However, patients who have had fewer oocytes retrieved, fewer fertilized, or fewer dividing embryos by day three in culture, may choose to have a cleavage stage embryo. For these patients, there may be less to be gained from further embryo ‘selection’. The problem with extended culture to day 5 for such patients is that there may be a loss of some embryos that might have “made it” if they had been transferred earlier.
Blastocyst transfer is also an excellent choice for women who undergo a frozen embryo transfer cycle. The embryologists can thaw most or all of the frozen pronuclear or cleavage-stage embryos and see which ones develop to the blastocyst stage. Either way, because our system of embryo freezing is so good, we do not lose anything if we transfer fewer embryos to reduce your risk of triplets or quadruplets and just save the extra embryos for a later pregnancy. We can even transfer just one embryo at a time (if that is your wish) without at all reducing your chance of pregnancy. It is important to consult with your clinician and embryologist about whether blastocyst culture and transfer is for you.
For more information or queries regarding any of the services offered at Global IVF Fertility Center, please contact us.
