This is a guest post by Dr. Sai, Head
Embryologist, Malpani Infertility Clinic Pvt. Ltd.
The desired outcome of IVF is a healthy baby . This is why transferring a single top quality embryo which will implant is the ultimate
goal of Clinician, Embryologist and the Patient.
What is Elective
Single Embryo Transfer (eSET ) ?
Elective single-embryo transfer (eSET) is a procedure in
which one embryo, selected from a larger number of available embryos, is placed
in the uterus.
It is often seen that some embryos which don’t look great
on day 2 or day 3 (poor grade or slow growth) self correct themselves , catch
up very well , and make it to blastocyst stage on day 5.
So it becomes very difficult to choose best embryos, when a
patient has lots of top quality embryos on day 2 or day 3. Sometimes the fragmentation seen in some of the embryos on
day 2 disappears on day 3.
Doing a Single embryo transfer on day 5 enables us to choose
the best embryos on day 5.
The biggest advantage of doing Single Embryo Transfer (SET) is eliminating the risk of multiple pregnancy.
Risks Associated with multiple pregnancies :
Multiple births increase the risk of premature
birth and low birth weight in infants. This can affect survival and
well-being of newborns. These babies may require special care immediately after
birth and at times, can face life-long problems such as developmental
disabilities and delays
Women who carry multiples may be more likely to need Caesarean sections which may require a longer period of recovery.
Pictures of
Embryos taken on Day 3
Pictures of
Embryos taken on Day 4
Pictures of
Embryos taken on Day 5
Embryos cultured
in individual drop of culture medium
Labelling the droplets enables us to number the embryos, so
we can keep track of each embryo in their respective droplets.
Pictures of embryos should be taken while grading the
embryos from day 1 to day 5.
These pictures should be included in the report which is
given to the patient at the time of embryo transfer.
Where is the proof that it is the same as culture in the EmbryoScope?
ReplyDeleteIt achieves exactly the same purpose an embryoscope does at a fraction of the cost - it allows us to select the best embryo ( the one which is developing best in vitro, and which therefore has the best chance of implanting )
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