Blastocyst Culture
Who is this for?
Blastocyst culture may be suitable for patients who have good
quality embryos on day two or three or who are considering having a
single good quality embryo replaced.
What does this treatment involve?
A blastocyst is an embryo that has been allowed to develop in
the laboratory for five or six days after egg collection. This is
in contrast to standard IVF where embryos are only allowed to
develop up to day two or three in the laboratory, before being
transferred to the uterus.
Blastocyst culture may be suitable for patients who have good
quality embryos on day two or three or who are considering having a
single good quality embryo replaced. Embryos which become
blastocysts have a higher chance of implantation than embryos on
day two or three. Blastocyst transfer is also more physiological as
it mimics natural conception.
This creates a perfect partnership between the embryo and the
uterine lining, aiding the implantation process. Unfortunately, not
all embryos created in the laboratory can develop and survive for
five days. It is therefore important that we select patients who on
day three have a minimum number of good quality embryos. If the
number of embryos is low, there may be no significant advantage to
leaving the embryos in the laboratory and you will be advised to
have embryos replaced earlier to avoid the risk of there being no
blastocysts to transfer.