Blastocyst Culture

Blastocyst culture is an effective method included in an IVF cycle which is the procedure of culturing a healthy embryo to the blastocyst stage. After fertilization, the embryo often takes 5-6 days to become a blastocyst and this entire procedure is done in the laboratory during blastocyst culture. This method is considered by infertility specialists to enhance the implantation and pregnancy rates.

When Is It Done?

• Blastocyst culture is usually recommended when a couple has a history of failed IVF cycles. In some cases, even after replacing the embryo on Day 2, it may not implant at the right time. Ensuring the quality of the embryo also doesn’t lead to a successful pregnancy in certain situations. In such cases, blastocyst culture can help the embryo to reach the blastocyst stage at the ideal time. 
• Another situation when a patient might opt for blastocyst culture is being more than 35 years old. The issues of decreased pregnancy, chances of multiple pregnancies and associated pregnancy complications, genetic abnormalities, and low-quality embryos can be solved with this procedure. 
• Women who suffer from diminished ovarian reserve can also undergo blastocyst culture. This is because this process helps in selecting the best embryos for implantation. The requirement of selecting multiple embryos isn’t necessary if this method is involved in the IVF cycle.

Procedural Details

Fertilization

The first method of the blastocyst culture is to fertilize the retrieved egg with the sperm in a laboratory setting. This method can be done with the traditional IVF method or a single healthy sperm can also be injected directly into the egg with intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) method.

Incubation

After fertilization, the healthy eggs will turn into embryos which are then kept and observed in a culture medium. This process helps the embryos to get the required nutrients for further growth. A well-controlled environment is the foremost essential method for the incubation where the temperature, gas composition, and humidity are controlled periodically.

Embryo Development

The next few days during the incubation period are highly essential since during this stage, the embryos will undergo cell development and cell division. Some of the healthy embryos will reach the blastocyst stage within 5-6 days. Both the outer and inner cell mass of the embryo is developed during this stage.

Blastocyst Selection

The next step of the blastocyst culture is to assess the embryos. During this process, the degree of expansion, shape, size, and cell number of the embryos are checked. After the embryo assessment, the high-quality blastocysts will be selected for transfer. The other healthy embryos can also be cryopreserved for further usage.

Embryo Transfer

The last stage of the blastocyst culture is embryo transfer where the selected blastocysts are transferred in the uterus of the woman with the help of a catheter for implantation.

The success rates of the entire procedure also depend upon various other factors, which include underlying fertility issues, the quality of the embryos, and the age of the patient.

Advantages

The main advantage of blastocyst culture is that it increases the chances of a successful pregnancy. The in-depth information about the growth and development of the embryos helps in ensuring the success rates of the pregnancy. Other advantages that you can attain by undergoing blastocyst culture are:

• Reduced Risk of Multiple Pregnancies
• Higher Chances of IVF Success
• Healthy Embryos for Future Use
• High Implantation Rates

Associated Risks

Like any other infertility treatment, blastocyst culture also holds a certain amount of risks. Some of the most common risk factors are:

• No Successful Pregnancy
• Low Embryo Development
• Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (OHSS)
• No Embryo Transfer Due to the Lack of Healthy Embryos
• Financial Stress
• Implantation Failure