LET'S BE ON THE JOURNEY OF SUCCESSFUL IVF

Category: Academics

Congratulations as, you have crossed the 1st milestone, rather a last step of the IVF Cycle is the healthy eggs which are ready to be fused or fertilized with the most fortunate & competent chosen sperm, in the laboratory. This place under the able guidance of Embryologists & infrastructure in place is geared up to see the most beautiful event of creating an embryo. Let’s understand first, a few terms often used, that is, zygotes & embryos. The word Zygote is derived from the Greek word ‘zygotes’ which means yoked. Zygotes are nothing but fertilized eggs. The word Embryo is derived from the Latin word, embryum, which means, the thing that grows. The multiplication of the zygote results in the formation of the embryo. Zygotes are single-cell structures while embryos are multicellular. In natural processes, when the embryo is formed within the body, so the body is well adjusted to accept the zygote, and offer food, nutrition &shelter, so embryos are formed & get implanted in the womb. This seemingly simple process is high precision driven under laboratory conditions. In the laboratory, right from air flowing in, Petri plates along with media where the embryo will be formed & observed for its development. This entire process needs to be monitored while creating exact conditions as it for the human body. 24-30 hrs, this Between 24 and 30 hours after fertilization, (Day 1) the embryo gets divided into 2 cells. By Day 2 the embryo is 4 cells and by the third day, the embryo is a 6-8 celled structure. Until this point, all the cells are identical and so, any single cell can be removed with minimal risk to the embryo, and if the need arises, can be screened for genetic diseases in a process known as pre-implantation genetic screening/diagnosis (PGS or PGD). Before this stage, the development of an embryo is driven by maternal genes from oocytes. Around 8 cell embryo, now, the development is governed by genes of the embryo itself. This is still the 3rd day. On the 4th day, the embryo cells are now fused, within 16-32 cell structures. This structure is now called a morula, which is fast developing stage. On day 5 of the embryo, the cells are specialized and carry out necessary functioning. The outer surface of the morula is the placenta in making & fluid secretions turning into the amniotic fluid. An embryo has a unique requirement for growth & survival. As fertilisation happens in fallopian tubes, where there is less oxygen & glucose as compared to the endometrial cavity. As the entire process is happening in the laboratory on the Petri plates, earlier simple media often failed to provide optimal growth so, the embryo could not survive into the next stage. A lot of research is been done in culture media, so the embryo develops healthily and can survive implantation. Now, the real challenge of additional 48 hrs (day 3 to 5), while, not-so-competent embryos will not survive this stage & leaving only the best to be selected for transfer. There are a few instances, where some women will not have any embryo left for transfer despite appearing good on day 3. It is very easy to say, such embryos which did not survive, eventually could not achieve pregnancy, even though transferred on day 3. Such embryos are chromosomally abnormal. Competent embryologists study pronuclear morphology, dividing speed of cells & their structure on day 3 & can certainly understand, which embryos are likely to survive until day 5. The real challenge is to achieve singleton pregnancy by competent embryo & avoid multiple pregnancies. The more advanced embryo grading and rate of the development stage, the better the chances of implantation in the uterine lining. What to note on Embryo Transfer Day 1. on the day of ET, be calm, stress-free It’s a relatively simple & painless procedure of 3o min. 2. Ultrasound-guided Embryo Transfer ensure the best implantation of the embryos. 3. The day of ET requires no Anesthesia or sedation. 4. You can have a light delight meal before your Embryo transfer. 5. Transfer is done with a full bladder, so drink plenty of water. 6. Avoid makeup or perfume as embryos are sensitive to such objects. 7. After ET, please empty your bladder and rest for 15-20 mins. 8. Avoid hot baths, swimming or any intense activity for a minimum of 2 weeks. 9. Avoid having sex, long or bumpy trips right after embryo transfer. Because the embryo takes first 72 hours to implant itself. We at pearl women’s hosp & Yash IVF, recommend day 5embryo transfer to almost all of the patients with a few exceptions if any. 1. Pearl women’s hosp &Yash IVF, have excellent IVF labs upgraded with the latest guidelines 2. In-house embryologist and team are the key assets for 24*7 services 3. Latest infrastructure & upgradation ensure embryo development 4. We offer maximum singleton healthy pregnancy to most of our happy couples 5. Day 5 Embryo transfer many centres do, we ensure happy pregnancy. 6. Committed to excellence in practice & compassion for all.