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If you are interested in our fertility specialists' blastocyst transfer program, contact IVF New Jersey today.






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Somerset Office
81 Veronica Avenue
Somerset, NJ 08873
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Phone: 732-220-9060
Fax: 732-545-1164
Freehold Office
495 Iron Bridge Road
Suite 10 (2nd Floor)
Freehold, NJ 07728
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Phone: 732-577-6500
Fax: 732-577-6510
Hamilton Office
3379 Quakerbridge Road
Suite 105
Hamilton Township, NJ 08619
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Phone: 609-799-5666
Fax: 609-219-0742
Annandale Office
Concourse at Beaver Brook
1465 Route 31 South
Annandale, NJ 08801
(Located in Additional Shops building, main entrance at the rear parking lot)
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Phone: 908-238-1220
Fax: 908-238-1225

Blastocyst Transfer by the Fertility Specialists of IVF New Jersey

Our fertility specialists have successfully established a blastocyst transfer program at IVF New Jersey. We are very excited about this program, because it has resulted in high success rates while significantly decreasing the number of triplet and quadruplet pregnancies, which can be associated with serious complications in both children and mothers. Below are answers to common questions about blastocyst transfer:

What Is a Blastocyst?

A blastocyst is an embryo that has advanced to the five-day stage; that is, an embryo that has divided many times into many cells over the five-day period following an egg retrieval. While most fertilized eggs will develop into a three-day-old embryo, only approximately half of them will develop into blastocysts. Therefore, blastocysts are considered a more select group of embryos with a higher chance of implantation.

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What Are the Advantages of Blastocyst Transfer?

Because blastocysts are a more advanced and select group of embryos and more likely to implant, the fertility specialists of IVF New Jersey are able to transfer only two in order to achieve the same or higher pregnancy rates we would expect from transferring three, four, or more three-day-old embryos. This reduces the probability of triplets, and all but eliminates the chance of a quadruplet pregnancy. (Because a blastocyst can divide into an identical twin, there is still a very small possibility that two blastocysts could result in a triplet or quadruplet pregnancy.) Because a blastocyst transfer is more likely to implant, there is still a high likelihood of a twin pregnancy being established when two blastocysts are transferred.

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What Are the Disadvantages of Blastocyst Transfer?

As stated above, it is more difficult for an embryo to develop into a blastocyst. Therefore, there is the possibility that an IVF cycle will not result in a transfer of any embryos if none of the three-day-old embryos develop into blastocysts.

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How Do I Decide if Blastocyst Transfer Is for Me?

Our fertility specialists recommend blastocyst transfer at IVF New Jersey when there are four or more high quality embryos on the third day following the egg retrieval. If there are fewer than four embryos, particularly in women aged 39 or over, you may want to consider transferring all the embryos on day three. This will avoid the possibility of not having a transfer should none of the day-three embryos develop into blastocysts. These options are discussed thoroughly prior to performing an embryo or blastocyst transfer.

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What Happens If There Are Extra Blastocysts Remaining?

Any extra blastocysts that are not transferred can be cryopreserved (frozen in liquid nitrogen) by the fertility specialists at our IVF New Jersey laboratory. Later, they can be thawed to attempt another blastocyst transfer. One of the advantages of freezing at the blastocyst stage is that only good quality embryos are frozen, which eliminates the needless freezing of poor quality embryos and increases the chance of pregnancy when they are thawed and the blastocysts are transferred.

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What Happens to My Eggs and Embryos?

Egg retrievals result in the collection of an average of 14 eggs, with a range of between four and 50 eggs. Some of the eggs will be immature or of lesser quality, resulting in normal fertilization of approximately 65 percent of the eggs. Those that do not fertilize are not viable and will not develop into an embryo. The majority of fertilized eggs, which consist of one cell, will divide into two or more cells and become an early embryo, sometimes referred to as a "pre-embryo." Each day that the pre-embryos are in our incubators, embryologists evaluate their progress as they continue to divide. Most will survive for three days, and if there are fewer than four pre-embryos on day three, they are usually transferred at this time.

If there are at least four or more pre-embryos, they will usually be allowed to grow for two more days. Only the better quality pre-embryos will continue to divide to the five-day stage, and they are referred to as "blastocysts." In fact, less than one-half of the pre-embryos are of good enough quality to become blastocysts. The advantage of growing blastocysts is that it allows us to select the best embryos for transfer. Because they are of high quality, the fertility specialists of IVF New Jersey use only two blastocysts for transfer in order to achieve a high pregnancy rate. The end result is a higher chance of conceiving, with a very low possibility of having triplets or higher. On occasion, the pre-embryos are dividing at a slower pace, and we elect to transfer three blastocysts. This does not increase the risk of higher order pregnancies.

In approximately 15 percent of IVF procedures (35 percent with donor eggs), there will be extra blastocysts that can be cryopreserved for future attempts at conceiving. Our pregnancy rate with "frozen and thawed" blastocyst transfer is very high, and we strongly recommend that extra blastocysts undergo cryopreservation.

As one can see, although we often retrieve a large number of eggs, there is a natural process of elimination as they progress from eggs to fertilized eggs, pre-embryos, and finally blastocysts. This demonstrates why it is desirable to use fertility medications to stimulate the growth of multiple eggs.

If you are interested in learning more about blastocyst transfer by our fertility specialists, contact IVF New Jersey today.

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