We are doing our 1st IVF this cycle and I asked about # of days for transfer - 3 versus 5 and my RE said they had done a study where in best case scenarios - they did day 5 transfers but did not see any significant differences between waiting or doing it on day 3. It seems like they will do transfer on day 3. Is this something I should be worried about?
No, you shouldn't be worried, per se. Some programs have the same pregnancy rate for Day 5 and Day 3 transfers. However, they invariably transferred more embryos on Day 3, thus putting their patients at risk for high order multiple gestations (triplets +) which can result in the loss of the entire pregnancy at mid-term or future developmental problems in the babies. If you are at high risk for multiple gestation (i.e. less than 35 years old), then you should discuss the risks with your doctor.
Well... The other isuue is if you only have a small number of embryos, say less than 6, they may be promoting a Day 3 transfer to avoid the possibility of having no blastocyst stage embryos for transfer. There is a compelling urge to transfer the embryos on Day 3 while they still appear to be growing to avoid the perception that, if they are going to stop growing between Day 3 and Day 5, the lab somehow did something wrong. In fact, whether the embryos continue to grow or not depends on their genetic potential, not laboratory conditions. Embryos with the correct genetic instructions for continued development can overcome some pretty horendous laboratory conditions.
If the Day 3 embryo transfer is unsuccessful, and you decide to try IVF again, I would suggest blastocyst transfer for the second attempt.
As always,your insight is very much appreciated. I have been following what you say to others and it is always consistant and helpful! I hope this one works but if not, will certainly insist on waiting! Thank you !!!
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