Blastocyst transfer is offered by TFP Fertility as part of in vitro-fertilisation (IVF) treatment.
During IVF, one or more embryos (an egg that has been fertilised with sperm) are placed into the womb after they have developed in a specialist lab.
At day five of development, the embryo grows into a complex and highly developed structure known as a blastocyst.
Our embryologists can better choose which embryos have the highest chance of success at the blastocyst stage by looking at how it has developed in the laboratory.
Through this procedure, IVF with blastocyst transfers often have higher birth rates.
We combine 35 years of fertility experience with exceptional patient care and empathy.
As part of a network of European clinics, we have access to a world of fertility expertise and knowledge to provide treatment plans carefully tailored to you.
When you come in to see us, we’ll take the time to get to know you, understand your medical history, and discuss what options could help you.
There’s no experience quite like fertility treatment, and we’re here with you every step of the way.
During IVF blastocyst transfer, an egg is fertilised by sperm in a lab.
The resulting embryo is carefully grown for five or six days until it reaches the blastocyst stage and is then placed inside the womb to develop.
If you’re a woman having a blastocyst transfer, the procedure will typically follow these steps:
1 - Fertilising the eggs
Eggs are combined with sperm in a laboratory to fertilise them.
If necessary, each egg may be injected with a single sperm by our specialist.
This is known as intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) and is recommended in cases where sperm count or quality is lower than ideal.
2 - Incubation period
The fertilised eggs, now called embryos, are incubated for five to six days until the embryo becomes a blastocyst.
Some of our clinics use a special incubator with built-in cameras called an EmbryoscopeTM to create a time-lapse video showing embryo development.
This helps us assess which embryos are strongest and most likely to implant successfully.
3 - Identifying the best embryos
The best one or two embryo(s) are chosen to ensure the highest chance of success.
Any other healthy embryos can be frozen for future use.
4 - Embryo transfer
Using a thin tube that is passed through your vagina, the blastocysts are then transferred into the womb to develop.
Blastocyst transfer may increase the success rate of IVF but is not right for everyone.
In Austria, blastocyst transfer is completed for the majority of patients undergoing IVF treatment.
Women with low egg counts might not be best suited for this treatment.
Your TFP Fertility specialist will decide if it’s right for you. When you come to us, we’ll take the time to get to know you, understand your medical history, and discuss what the best options are for you and your individual case.
We can provide more information and advice about whether this treatment is right for you – just contact us today and we’ll help answer your questions.
Your TFP Fertility specialist will complete blastocyst transfer for your IVF treatment to provide you the best possible chance in your treatment.
Blastocyst transfer can increase pregnancy and birth rates.
Studies have shown that allowing the embryos to hatch and develop to the blastocyst stage before they’re transferred increases the chance that the embryo will implant to the womb and continue to grow.
Allowing the embryo to develop to the blastocyst stage can help your embryologist choose the embryo with the best potential to be successful for implantation.
Also, the freezing of the blastocysts that are not transferred have a high rate of surviving the freezing and thawing process.
After blastocyst transfer is complete, it takes around nine days for your hormone levels to rise and the pregnancy to be detected.
You may be eager to find out what’s happening in your body during that time, here’s what to expect each day post transfer:
Day 1: The blastocyst begins a process called hatching. The blastocyst is surrounded by a thin shell and begins to hatch out of it, preparing to implant to your womb.
Day 2: The blastocyst, still hatching, begins to attach itself to your womb. This is when the blastocyst beings the process of implanting itself onto your uterus.
Day 3 and 4: The blastocyst starts to implant itself onto your womb and attaches itself deeper to your uterus
Day 5: The implantation should now be done. Your foetus and the placenta have now started to develop.
Day 6: A hormone called human Chorionic Gonadotropic (hCG) is now starting to be released into your bloodstream. This is the hormone that’s detected to indicate that you’re pregnant.
Day 7 and 8: Your foetus continues to grow and the hormone hCG is continuously released into your blood.
From day 11: Your hCG levels have become high enough to be picked up in a blood or urine test that can confirm that you are now pregnant.
You can use donor sperm for IVF where the man has a very low or no sperm count or a lesbian couple.
Under current laws, using donor sperm for single women to have IVF is not possible in Austria.
If If you’d like to know more about using donor sperm, visit our TFP Fertility sperm donor page.