3 day or 5 day transfer?

[Kitcat12]

My clinic seem to be leaning towards transferring 1 or possibly 2 embryos on Friday, which would be a day 3 transfer. The embryologist said we would have to decide if we wanted to take our embryos to blastocyst and have the transfer on Sunday instead. Any advice on what we should do? Should we wait and try and get our embryos to blastocyst stage or go ahead with a day 3 transfer?

[Daddu1]

Honey according to my knowledge I would say 3 days transfer

[Kcrochet]

That seems surprising they would lean towards a 3 day transfer when you have so many to choose from. Did they explain why they're thinking this?

My understanding is it's much easier to see which are looking most promising on day 5 compared with day 3, so getting to day 5 puts the embryologist in a better position to select the strongest for transfer. My clinic said as long as I had at least 3 embryos still developing normally on day 3 they would hold out for a 5 day transfer. I guess if there were only 2 still going on day 3 the benefit of waiting to find out which was stronger might be less important than just putting them back where they belong..?

Maybe you can ask them for more info, pros and cons of each scenario? xx

[Kitcat12 in reply to Kcrochet]

To be honest I thought it was unusual! I just assumed that with lots of embryos to choose from, they would go with day 5. They didn’t really explain why but on the phone she said they will ring tomorrow with a transfer time for Friday. I’ll ask tomorrow for more details on why they are leaning towards this x

[Kcrochet in reply to Kitcat12]

I guess every patient is different and every clinic is different, they'll know best with all their experience. I don't think it actually benefits an embryo to get to day 5 in the lab - it's just a way to get info about them to assist the choosing process. If it's going to make it to blastocyst it will do either in the lab or in you, I think. So you won't be 'harming' the embryo if you do an earlier transfer if that makes sense. Hopefully they can give you more info tomorrow. In either case you're in a great position with so many fertilised 😀 xx

[Kitcat12 in reply to Kcrochet]

Thank you. It’s times like this I really wish they would just tell me what is going to happen and make the decision for me!!

[Kcrochet in reply to Kitcat12]

I know! It's does seem odd to expect us to know. I was glad my clinic didn't ask me to decide. You can only do your best with the information available. Good luck! xx

[Kitcat12 in reply to Kcrochet]

Thank you lovely x

[Kcrochet in reply to Kitcat12]

Just saw on your profile that you're 30 - so am equally baffled why they would suggest the possibility of putting two back! Are you sure they didn't just get you mixed up with someone else?! xx

[Kitcat12 in reply to Kcrochet]

Oh I’ve not thought of this!!

[Sfarre in reply to Kitcat12]

I agree with Kcrochet - putting two back on your first go at age 30 seems risky - unless you are really, really keen on having twins of course! My clinic offered to put both of my 5 days back (I had two blastos) and I refused very strongly. It might make perfect sense for older women or for those who have had a lot of cycles etc, but the risk of multiples is high for younger women without failed IVF cycles.

Same as what everyone has said - I would want hard answers as to the rationale behind why they are suggesting Day 3 transfer! Unless there was something very wrong with how your fertilized eggs are developing, I really don't see why they wouldn't wait for Day 5? Much better chance of success with choosing the best looking day 5's.

[Kitcat12 in reply to Sfarre]

Thanks lovely, you’re right, I need to make sure I understand why they’re suggesting it before I go ahead!

[Daddu1 in reply to Kcrochet]

What happens embryos grow fast some days and slow some days. If some embryos doing very well doesn’t mean they continue to do so. When u do 5days blastocyst some time they don’t stick. I think earlier is better so they can find good spot to stick. 2 embryos transferred on day 5 for me last time.One was in bigging stage- slow and the other one blastocyst-fast and 1 sticked . What embryologist said was initially the blastocyst was slower for 2 days, later grown fast

[Kitcat12 in reply to Daddu1]

Thanks, this is really helpful! So much to consider.

[Niki_B in reply to Daddu1]

Yes but in a natural pregnancy at day 3 the embryo is still travelling down the fallopian tube on its way to the womb....it doesn't reach the uterus until 5 days after fertilisation so in that sense a 5 day transfer is more in sync with how things go. Not saying your wrong or anything a friend of mine had a 3 day transfer and has a boy but yes just wanted to give you all the info to make your decision 😊😘

[Niki_B]

Hmm that is very strange 🤔 I just seen your post that 14 fertilised why on earth are they talking about a 3 day transfer?? When and if they even make it to blastocyst (which not all of them will...and most embryos that fertilize 95% will look good at day 3 but won't make it to day 5...between day 4 and 5 the embryos make big changes and go through a massive change) at my clinic if you have 4 or more fertilised it's an automatic wait till day 5 transfer. 3 or less it's a 3 day transfer. I would definately ask why they are suggesting that. Oh and huge congrats 14 fertilized is awesome you should definately have a few that make it to blast! 😁😘 xxx

[Kitcat12 in reply to Niki_B]

Thanks lovely! I did think it was strange. I think you’re right, I will ask for more information and a proper explanation tomorrow when they phone with an update x

[Niki_B in reply to Kitcat12]

Definatley as you should be looking at a day 5 transfer with that many embies! That way they know which ones are the best 😁😘 xxx

[Foodie23]

I too am quite surprised they would suggest a day 3 transfer and be discussing the possibility of transferring 2 at your age. I agree with what the rest of the ladies have said. If you have more than 3, it’s best to wait until day 5 to better tell which ones are of higher quality.

With regard to the number of embryos to transfer, it’s definitely a personal decision. I’ve heard that if your embryo is good quality and you’re younger, like you are, the recommendation would definitely be one. I also saw a statistic from a reputable source that said you have a greater chance at falling pregnant with two single transfers than one double. Many people say a double transfer mostly just increases the likelihood of twins.

How wonderful that you should have multiple embryos. I wish you the best of luck in your journey! Xx

[Kitcat12 in reply to Foodie23]

Thank you! I’m really confused about it, just have to ask them to clarify tomorrow I suppose 🤷🏽‍♀️x

[Hidden]

Wait for a 5 day transfer! How many fertilised? In my cycle out of 9 that were growing fine at 3 days only 4 ended up being good quality blastocysts xx

[Kitcat12 in reply to Hidden]

14 fertilised, so loads!

[Hidden in reply to Kitcat12]

That's weird! It is loads! Hmmm, definately wait for a 5 day, from what I've read numbers tend to go down from day 3 to day 5 and I don't think the quality is as clear until they're blastocysts. For some clinics its standard practice and they will only transfer 5 day, do you have to pay more to grow them to 5 days? Xxxx

[Kitcat12 in reply to Hidden]

Not that I’m aware of. They haven’t mentioned having to pay. I will bring up all these things on the phone tomorrow, thank you x

[Hidden in reply to Kitcat12]

Good luck! Xxxxxx

[Worrymum]

Hello, I don't know if this helps. It's a video made by Guys hospital in London. You can skip the bits about the meds, but watch the bits about transferring embryo's. At Guys they tend to transfer only one embryo if age is under 37 and possibly two if over 37.

A lot depends on the quality of the eggs.

I hope it gives you an idea of the kind of questions you need ask. Good luck with it all

m.youtube.com/watch?v=Aevc1...(Not working as expected?)

[Kitcat12]

Little update, the embryologist has phoned and all 14 embryos are growing well, 10 are at grade 1 and the others are grade 2. She said that unless something drastic happens over night then they will be taking them to day 5 blastocyst stage. If they don’t meet the criteria over night for some reason then they will transfer 2 embryos tomorrow.

[Cinderella5 in reply to Kitcat12]

If you have lots of good embryos at day 3 then I'd be tempted to wait for 5 day transfer so they can see he front runners, I'd only do a 3 day if you only had a couple of good ones. Having said that, be prepared for a few to drop off as this is the common scenario. Hope you also have some to freeze. Good luck with your decision!xx

[Kitcat12 in reply to Cinderella5]

Thank you, it doesn’t really seem that I have any choice! She just said that if they don’t meet the criteria for blastocyst culturing tomorrow morning then they will transfer two, whereas if they do meet the criteria, they will take them all to day 5. It’s all a bit complicated!

[Cinderella5 in reply to Kitcat12]

I know its hard but try to have a little faith in the embryologists to advice on you the right day to transfer. You are actually starting in a very good position so they will keep you right!xx

[Kitcat12 in reply to Cinderella5]

I’d rather they make the decisions for me, they’re the experts!!

[Kcrochet in reply to Kitcat12]

It sounds like things are going really well. Maybe your clinic just likes to prepare everyone for a day3 transfer just in case? Fingers crossed for some 5-day blastos for you xx

[Kitcat12 in reply to Kcrochet]

Yeah I feel like they’re just covering all their bases x

[Sfarre in reply to Kitcat12]

Excellent! So glad to hear. Wow - 10 grade 1's - that is a very high number! Fingers crossed that you will have plenty of day 5's for transfer and the freeze x

[Kitcat12 in reply to Sfarre]

Thank you lovely, I’m so pleased with how everything is going. I’m just waiting for something to go wrong 😔 shouldn’t be so negative, when I’ve got such a fabulous amount of little embies.

[SConnor]

In my case the embryologist was more specific which helped a lot. She said if we arrived to day 3 with at last 4 embryos they'd take them to day 5 blasto stage. Less than 4 and we would have a day 3 transfer of 1 or 2.

We ended up having exactly 4, went to day 5 and got only 1 transferred. BFP and all good at week 8, fingers crossed for you too xxx

[Kitcat12 in reply to SConnor]

Amazing, congratulations on your pregnancy! I do wish they were a bit more specific, but I understand they have to be careful about what they say, they need to cover themselves against all outcomes I suppose!

[SConnor in reply to Kitcat12]

I guess my advice now would be to trust your embryologist, he/she will take into account the number of high quality ones on your Day 3 and advice on it. In this forum we have positive stories of Day 3s and Days 5s transfers, so whichever the clinic advises can work out. All the best for your big day xxx

[Kitcat12 in reply to SConnor]

Thanks so much lovely, you’re right, I need to trust in the experts! I’m just such a worrier, I wish I had more control over the outcome x

[Kitcat12]

My embryos are being taken to day 5, transfer booked in for Sunday. So excited!!

[Cinderella5 in reply to Kitcat12]

Good luck!xx