Blastocyst Culture

Normally, during a standard IVF, embryos are grown under controlled conditions under strict supervision in a laboratory for two to three days. Further, it is then transferred into a woman’s uterus and if there are any extra embryos, they can be frozen for future use. Blastocyst culture refers to the growing of blastocyst embryos for two more days in the laboratory and then transferred to a woman’s uterus on the fifth day.

Monitoring of Blastocysts

Couples looking for a blastocyst culture treatment in Kolkata can consult a Gynecologist and Obstetrician, Dr. Amitoj Athwal who has more than 10 years of experience and has represented her research papers at national as well as international levels. When you will be under the guidance of the best gynecologist in Kolkata for a blastocyst treatment, she would assess the quality of the embryos by checking how many of them have been divided. Dr. Athwal would also keep you informed of any developments that require your input.

Once the embryos are developed into the blastocyst stage, she would use a three-character grading system. This would help her in focusing on the Inner Cell Mass (ICM), the Trophectoderm (the outermost layer of cells), and the degree of expansion and size of the embryo.

After five days, only 60 to 70% of human embryos progress to the blastocyst stage. There might be a few eggs that may have been initially fertilized. While not all of them will progress to the four-cell stage, even fewer will develop into blastocysts. In other words, getting a blastocyst treatment in Kolkata under an Obstetrician-Gynecologist can be viewed as ‘survival of the fittest’.

However, after the third day, patients having fewer oocytes retrieved, fewer eggs fertilized, or fewer good-quality embryos have no advantage in proceeding with a blastocyst culture in Kolkata, since little is to be gained in further embryo “self-selection”.

  Advantages of getting blastocyst culture treatment in Kolkata

● Not all embryos that look suitable on day 3 survive till day 5. Therefore, keeping it in the laboratory for two more days leads to an increase in the chances of transferring embryos that can lead to successful pregnancy and birth.

● Choosing a day 3 or day 5 embryo transfer will depend on the circumstances at the time and you will have full rights to make a decision about the same.