Anonymous wrote:There is a big debate about day 3/day 5. Many REs use day 5 as a proxy for selecting a good embryo. They think that if the embryo doesn't do well in the lab, then it won't do well in the body. They also want to do a blast transfer so you can transfer less and not end up with multiples. Some REs think that the embryo will do better in the body. Some women have embryos that just don't grow in the lab and those REs believe in transfering d3 embryos for that reason.
Day 5 embryos are generally more successful as they have been selected for more. You would also put in less embryos if you transfer a blast.
You have a right to question your RE. You also can get a second opinion and transfer your eggs somewhere else if you want to do a day 5 transfer. SGF is a big proponent of day 5 transfers, so you could go there if you want pgs testing etc.
My ds is a day 3 transfer. I haven't had luck transferring day 5 embryos. Many women do. If you ask the REs that promote day 5 transfer, they will say I have bad embryo quality and if it doesn't grow in the lab, it won't grow inside you. If you ask a day 3 proponent, they will say that the embryos grow better inside of me.
I don't think there is any way to resolve the debate. SGF claims that they analyzed their data and it showed that only doing day 5 transfers had a better sucess rate. That didn't work for me, so I left.
If you are concerned about day 3 transfers, why don't you go to SGF and get a second opinion? You wont know how your embryos do until you attempt to grow them in a lab.
Thanks, unfortunately I am not in the DC area so SGF is not an option for me. I have considered moving my eggs but spoke with several embryologists who advised me it was safer to keep the eggs put if at all possible because protocols for thawing eggs are not standardized and they are obviously not as hardy as embryos. I did get a second opinion Friday from a doc who said a Day 3 transfer was not out of the realm of possibility. That said, in my fresh cycle at 39 that resulted in my son, I had 4 eggs, 3 blasts that all made it to day five, and I transferred the one PGS normal. I have no idea how my 36 year old eggs will perform but I'm hoping they will do just as well, if not better given how they were substantially younger. I think I am going to push for a Day 5 transfer (assuming embryos look good at day 2-3) and freeze the rest.