Fertility and Sterility
Volume 88, Issue 1 , Pages 244-246 , July 2007

Prospective evaluation of the optimal time for selecting a single embryo for transfer: day 3 versus day 5

  • Nicolas H. Zech, M.D.

      Affiliations

    • Institute for Reproductive Medicine and Endocrinology, Bregenz, Austria
    • Corresponding Author InformationReprint requests: Nicolas H. Zech, M.D., Institute for Reproductive Medicine and Endocrinology, Roemerstrasse 2, A-6900 Bregenz, Austria (FAX: 43-5574-44836-9).
    • ,
  • Bernard Lejeune, M.D., PhD.

      Affiliations

    • Centre de Procréation Assistée du Centre Hospitalier Interrégional Edith Cavell (CHIREC), Braine l’Alleud, Brussels, Belgium
    • ,
  • Francoise Puissant, M.D.

      Affiliations

    • Centre de Procréation Assistée du Centre Hospitalier Interrégional Edith Cavell (CHIREC), Braine l’Alleud, Brussels, Belgium
    • ,
  • Sabine Vanderzwalmen, B.S.

      Affiliations

    • Centre de Procréation Assistée du Centre Hospitalier Interrégional Edith Cavell (CHIREC), Braine l’Alleud, Brussels, Belgium
    • ,
  • Herbert Zech, M.D., PhD.

      Affiliations

    • Institute for Reproductive Medicine and Endocrinology, Bregenz, Austria
    • ,
  • Pierre Vanderzwalmen, M.S.

      Affiliations

    • Institute for Reproductive Medicine and Endocrinology, Bregenz, Austria
    • Centre de Procréation Assistée du Centre Hospitalier Interrégional Edith Cavell (CHIREC), Braine l’Alleud, Brussels, Belgium

Received 10 July 2006 ,Revised 30 October 2006 ,Accepted 16 November 2006.

References 

  1. Gardner D, Surrey E, Minjarez D, Leitz A, Stevens J, Schoolcraft B. Single blastocyst transfer: a prospective randomized trial. Fertil Steril. 2004;81:551–555
  2. Trout S, Bohrer M, Seifer D. Single blastocyst transfer in women at risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome. Fertil Steril. 2001;76:1066–1067
  3. Kinget K, Nijs M, Cox A, Janssen M, Jacobs P, Bosmans E, et al. A novel approach for patients at risk for ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome: elective transfer of a single zona free blastocyst on day 5. Reprod Biomed Online. 2002;4:51–55
  4. Milki A, Hinckley M, Westphal L, Behr B. Elective single blastocyst transfer. Fertil Steril. 2004;81:1697–1698
  5. Papanikolaou EG, Camus M, Kolibianakis EM, Van Landuyt L, Van Steirteghem A, Devroey P. In vitro fertilization with single blastocyst-stage versus single cleavage-stage embryos. N Engl J Med. 2006;354:1139–1146
  6. Papanikolaou E, D’Haeseleer E, Verheyen G, Van de Velde H, Camus M, Van Steirteghem A, et al. Live birth rate is significantly higher after blastocyst transfer than after cleavage-stage embryo transfer when at least four embryos are available on day 3 of embryo culture (A randomized prospective study). Hum Reprod. 2005;11:3198–3203
  7. Schwarzler P, Zech H, Auer M, Pfau K, Gobel G, Vanderzwalmen P, et al. Pregnancy outcome after blastocyst transfer as compared to early cleavage stage embryo transfer. Hum Reprod. 2004;19:2097–2102
  8. Blake DA, Proctor M, Johnson NP. The merits of blastocysts versus cleavage stage embryo transfer: a Cochrane review. Hum Reprod. 2004;19:795–807
  9. Graham J, Han T, Porter R, Levy M, Stillman R, Tucker M. Day 3 morphology is a poor predictor of blastocyst quality in extended culture. Fertil Steril. 2000;74:495–497
  10. Milki A, Hinckley M, Gebhardt J, Dasig D, Westphal L, Behr B. Accuracy of day 3 criteria for selecting the best embryos. Fertil Steril. 2002;77:1191–1195
  11. Neuber E, Mahutte N, Arici A, Sakkas D. Sequential embryo assessment outperforms investigators-driven morphological assessment at selecting a good quality blastocyst. Fertil Steril. 2006;85:794–796
  12. Staessen C, Platteau P, Van Assche E, Michiels A, Tournaye H, Camus M, et al. Comparison of blastocyst transfer with or without preimplantation genetic diagnosis for aneuploidy screening in couples with advanced maternal age: a prospective randomized controlled trial. Hum Reprod. 2004;19:2849–2858
  13. Zech NH, Lejeune B, Puissant F, Zech H, Vanderzwalmen S, Vanderzwalmen P. Single embryo transfer: selection on day 3 or day 5? (A prospective observational study). Fertil Steril. 2005;84(Suppl 1):S266
  14. Racowsky C, Jackson KV, Cekleniak NA, Fox JH, Hornstein MD, Ginsburg ES. The number of eight-cell embryos is a key determinant for selecting day 3 or day 5 transfer. Fertil Steril. 2000;73:558–564

PII: S0015-0282(06)04571-7

doi: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2006.11.070

Fertility and Sterility
Volume 88, Issue 1 , Pages 244-246 , July 2007

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