FAQ - Embryology
After the retrieval procedure, you will be told how many oocytes in total were retrieved. Only mature eggs can be fertilized and therefore only mature eggs are injected with sperm. The next morning, they are observed under a microscope, and the presence or absence of fertilization is determined. That morning you will receive a phone call regarding how many eggs were mature for ICSI and how many fertilized. This is when the day of your transfer will be decided. Fertilized embryos remain in culture media in the incubator until they are transferred into the patient’s uterus and/or cryopreserved. Embryos are only checked on Day 1, Day 3, Day 5, and Day 6. At the end of your cycle, you can find a Patient Summary report in the patient portal.
Day 5 embryos are given one number and two letters, i.e. 4AA. The first number indicates the stage of development for the embryo:
6=Hatched Blast
5=Hatching Blast
4=Fully Expanded Blast
3=Expanded Blast
2=Early Blast
1=Early Blast
The cells making up the blastocyst are represented by the letter: A=Good, B=Fair, C=Poor. The first letter following the number describes the inner cellular mass, the portion of the blast that will develop into the fetus. The second letter following the number represents the quality of the trophectoderm, the portion of the blast that will develop into the placenta.
We use this system to try to determine which blastocysts will continue development and ultimately lead to a successful pregnancy and healthy child. With that said, just because we grade an embryo as “good” doesn’t mean it will lead to a successful pregnancy, and just because we grade an embryo as “poor” doesn’t mean that it won’t develop into a beautiful baby. The grading is very subjective, and we urge clients to not focus all their attention on embryo grades.
Day 3 cleaving embryos are given two numbers, i.e. 3/8. The first number indicates the grade of the cleaving embryo which is based on several factors including the blastomere size, symmetry, and amount of fragmentation.
3 & 4=Good
2=Fair
1=Poor
The number of cells in the cleaving embryo is represented by the second number. Generally, 6 to 8 blastomeres are common for Day 3.
We use this system to try to determine which embryos will continue development and ultimately lead to a successful pregnancy and healthy child. With that said, just because we grade an embryo as “good” doesn’t mean it will lead to a successful pregnancy, and just because we grade an embryo as “poor” doesn’t mean that it won’t develop into a beautiful baby. The grading is very subjective, and we urge clients to not focus all their attention on embryo grades.
Assisted Hatching (AH) is performed as part of the embryology lab’s protocol during an IVF cycle to assist embryos in hatching from their shell (zona pellucida). The zona pellucida initially helps to protect the egg and resulting embryo, but it is essential that the embryo hatch from the zona pellucida for it to implant on the uterine wall and create a pregnancy. Assisted Hatching may help patients with increased FSH levels, who are of advanced maternal age, or whose embryos have thick zonas. Patients who have embryos cryopreserved and are preparing for a Frozen Embryo Transfer (FET) can also benefit from AH. AH is used only when necessary, before a transfer if the zona pellucida is not already thinning.
Because we consider AH a necessary part of IVF for many people, it is included in our price of IVF. There are no known long-term effects of AH.
Yes, we do ICSI and traditional IVF fertilization in the embryology lab of both of our offices that perform IVF (Syracuse and Albany). Because ICSI is complementary in that it is included in our IVF price of $3,900, over 90% of our clients choose to do ICSI due to its higher rate of success.
CNY Fertility Center Embryology Laboratories are highly regulated by multiple accrediting agencies and undergo routine inspections by all agencies. We hold New York State Tissue Bank Licensure, College of Pathologists (CAP) Accreditation and are registered with the FDA.
Yes, all of our equipment including our incubators and liquid nitrogen tanks are monitored 24/7. If an alarm was triggered, embryology staff would be immediately notified and arrive at the center quickly, no matter the time of day or night. Equipment, incubators, and tanks are all monitored in person every day of the year to ensure proper working function.
There are many chain-of-custody steps built into every procedure. Every patient sample is labeled clearly with patient name, DOB, and unique ID number as well as their partner’s name, DOB, and ID number, if applicable. Retrievals and transfers require confirmation of the patient’s name, date of birth, and treatment plan before the start of the procedure.
