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Blastocyst culture and transfer increases the efficiency of oocyte donation
1Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine, Englewood, Colorado 80110, USA. bschoolcraft@colocrm.com
Objective:
To determine the impact of blastocyst transfer on an oocyte donation program.
Design:
Retrospective review of embryo transfer in an IVF clinic.
Setting:
Private assisted reproductive technology unit.
Patient(S):
Two hundred and twenty nine patients undergoing oocyte donation.
Intervention(S):
Culture of pronucleate embryos to either day 3 or day 5 followed by embryo transfer.
Main Outcome Measure(S):
Implantation rates, pregnancy rates, and multiple gestations were analyzed.
Result(S):
Implantation rates and pregnancy rates were significantly increased by moving to extended embryo culture and transfer on day 5. After day 3 transfers, implantation and pregnancy rates were 47.1% and 75%, respectively. In contrast, on day 5 these rates were increased to 65.8% and 87.6%. Concomitantly, there were significantly fewer embryos transferred on day 5 (2.1) compared to day 3 (3.2).
Conclusion(S):
Blastocyst transfer is a highly effective treatment for patients who receive donor oocytes, allowing excellent pregnancy rates while significantly reducing the incidence of high-order multiple gestations.