Blastocyst Cultivation

Why use blastocyst cultivation?

Under natural conditions, an egg will stay in the upper third of the fallopian tube after ovulation. When the egg has been fertilised, it starts travelling into the womb, arriving on day 5. In IVF/ICSI treatment it has been customary to transfer the egg to the womb on day 2or 3 after fertilisation.

But as the technologies we use in the laboratory are constantly improving, it has become possible to let the egg develop for 5-6 days in an embryoscope. This method is called blastocyst cultivation. When we cultivate the fertilised for 5-6 days until it reaches the blastocyst stage in the embryoscope, we have a much better chance of selecting the fertilised eggs with the biggest chance of a pregnancy. Another advantage is that any surplus eggs/blastocysts have a better chance of surviving the freezing procedure. The chance of pregnancy per transfer is also much higher after blastocyst cultivation. 

When eggs are extracted, about 15% of them never reach the blastocyst stage. However, the percentage varies a good deal, depending on the woman’s age at the time of treatment.

At Aagaard Fertilitetsklinik we have decided to use blastocyst cultivation for all egg extractions, irrespective of the woman’s age. Knowing that this gives the best results, we’ve decided not to settle for anything less than the best, and therefore we offer blastocyst cultivation to everybody free of charge.

What is an embryoscope?

An embryoscope is a device that allows the fertilised eggs to develop under very stable conditions. This means, among other things, that the concentration of oxygen is reduced to 5%, to imitate the conditions in the fallopian tube/womb as far as possible. The embryoscope has an inbuilt camera, which allows us to monitor the fertilised eggs round the clock. Having this round-the-clock information gives us the ideal foundation for selecting the fertilised eggs with the optimal chance of resulting in a pregnancy.