Blastocyst Culture & Transfer in Delhi
Embryos are grown for five days instead of three, so the strongest one can be identified.
What blastocyst culture & transfer involves
A blastocyst is a day-five embryo with well over a hundred cells and a clear inner cell mass. Growing embryos to this stage lets the laboratory see which ones have real developmental potential, rather than transferring at day three and hoping.
It also matches the natural timing — an embryo normally reaches the uterus around day five. This improves implantation rates and makes single embryo transfer safe, which is the main reason we prefer it.
Who this is for
- Couples with several fertilised eggs available
- Anyone in whom we want to avoid a twin pregnancy
- Previous failed day-three transfers
- Cycles where genetic testing of embryos is planned
Not everything on this list means you need this treatment. The workup comes first, and the recommendation follows from what it shows — not from what was booked before you arrived.
Step by step
Extended culture
Embryos are kept in a stable, time-lapse monitored incubator through to day five.
Grading
Each blastocyst is graded on expansion, inner cell mass and trophectoderm quality.
Transfer
The best single blastocyst is transferred.
Vitrification
Remaining good-quality blastocysts are frozen for future attempts.
Your results, in writing
Whatever the outcome of blastocyst culture & transfer, you leave each stage with the findings written down — what was done, what was found, what it means, and what the options are from here. Reports are issued the same day wherever the laboratory allows it.
Case study: Six day-three embryos, and the right one to choose
30, Vasant Kunj · first IVF cycle · tubal factor
What she came in with
Bilateral tubal blockage following a pelvic infection. Her ovaries responded well to stimulation, producing fifteen eggs and six good-looking day-three embryos — and the question became which to transfer.
What the workup showed
All six graded well at day three, which in practice tells you very little. Day-three morphology correlates poorly with implantation potential; the embryonic genome has barely activated at that point.
What we did
Extended culture to day five in a time-lapse monitored incubator. Three of the six arrested between day three and day five. Two reached good-quality blastocyst and one was borderline.
Outcome
A single top-grade blastocyst was transferred, producing an ongoing singleton pregnancy. The second was frozen.
The point of this case
Three of those six embryos would have looked like reasonable transfer candidates on day three. Two more days of culture identified which ones could actually have implanted, and allowed a single transfer instead of two.
Illustrative case. This is a composite of presentations commonly seen in this practice, written for explanation — it is not the record of an identifiable patient, and no individual's details are used. Outcomes vary, and nothing here is a prediction of what will happen in your case.
What is different about having this done here
Standard practice here rather than an upgrade you pay extra for
Time-lapse incubators mean embryos are not disturbed for assessment
Daily updates on how your embryos are developing
Makes elective single embryo transfer genuinely safe
Treated by the consultant, not by a rotating team
Dr. Tiwari performs the scans, the procedure and the follow-up herself, and looks after any pregnancy that results. Over a long treatment course that continuity is the difference between being known and being processed.
- MBBS, MS (Obstetrics & Gynaecology), FNB (Reproductive Medicine)
- Over ten years in reproductive medicine and gynaecological surgery
- Consultations and scans at Mother's Hope, Katwaria Sarai; theatre work at SHE Delhi Hospital, Greater Kailash II
- Itemised costs given in writing before anything begins
Areas we see patients from
Both locations are in South Delhi. Patients travelling from further out have appointments grouped to cut down the number of trips.
Questions about blastocyst culture & transfer
What if no embryo reaches blastocyst?
It is disappointing but it is information. An embryo that arrests on day four would almost certainly not have implanted. It tells us to look at egg or sperm quality before the next attempt.
Is blastocyst transfer riskier?
No. The main trade-off is that fewer embryos survive to day five, so there may be fewer to freeze.
Talk it through before you commit
Consultations run for a full hour. Bring any previous reports — they are reviewed properly, not repeated.