It depends again on where you are doing your ART. Some clinics, especially in Germany, only do day 2 ET’s for example. Some only do day 3 and others day 5 and somewhere in between all of the above, some do day 3 and day 5 transfers depending on the embryology.

- Week 22 answers kindly provided by Dr. Stephan Volschenk -

ART is unfortunately not an exact science, and it is therefore difficult to predict whether the embryos will do better being back in the uterus on day 3 or stay in the dish ‘till day 5. Generally, if one has 3 or more good 8 cell embryos on day 3 , one can safely grow them to day 5 without the risk of not having nothing to transfer on day 5. If there are less than 3 good embryos on day 3, it does not really make a difference as to whether you transfer on day 3 .

- Week 22 answers kindly provided by Dr. Stephan Volschenk -

The world is at present ,divided with regards to single or double embryo transfers and is much dependent on where you happen to find yourself in the world when doing ART. The only way however to try and ensure a singleton pregnancy is doing an elective SET.(There is a possibility of 0.8% of a single embryo leading to an identical twin pregnancy)A few factors have to be taken into consideration though, before embarking on an elective SET namely:
1)    Age
2)    Number previous attempts
3)    Reproductive history
4)    Embryo quality on the day of transfer
5)    Successful freezing program of the clinic

It is therefore clear from the above that the decision as to whether or not to do an elective SET is not an easy one as one would aim for the best outcome of being pregnant when presented with all the facts.

- Week 22 answers kindly provided by Dr. Stephan Volschenk -

The jury has been out regarding this issue for a while now, and it is clear that ultrasound guided embryo transfers are more reliable and accurate than blind, fixed distance transfers. There are a few studies that feel otherwise, but the overwhelming evidence support the use of ultrasound during the E.T. The endocervical canal differs from patient to patient and therefore, if you are able to see what you are doing, it will inevitable guarantee that you place the embryos in the endometrial cavity EVERY time. It is also less traumatic to the patient if one can actually see what you are doing.

-1dpt ..embryo is growing and developing
0dpt… Embryo is now a blastocyst
1dpt….Blastocyst hatches out of shell on this day
2dpt.. Blastocyst attaches to a site on the uterine lining
3dpt.. Implantation begins,as the blastocyst begins to bury in the lining
4dpt.. Implantation process continues and morula buries deeper in the lining
5dpt.. Morula is completely inmplanted in the lining and has placenta cells & fetal cells
6dpt…Placenta cells begin to secret HCG in the blood
7dpt…More HCG is produced as fetus develops
8dpt…More HCG is produced as fetus develops
9dpt…HCG levels are now high enough to be immediately detected on HPT

* This excerpt from an unknown source was confirmed to be reasonably correct by Dr.V

- Week 17 answers kindly provided by Dr. Stephan Volschenk -

There is no indication for the administration of muscle relaxants prior to ET. One tries to steer clear of taking any unnecessary medication during this time. The best way to manage this would be acupuncture the day before, and the day of ET .

- Week 16 answers kindly provided by Dr. Stephan Volschenk -

- Week 14 answers kindly provided by Dr. Stephan Volschenk -

Added 24 October 2008: See also - http://www.nashvillefertility.com/embryo_development_photo_gallery.htm

Anything below 20% fragmentation.

- Week 11 answers kindly provided by Dr. Stephan Volschenk -

Acupuncture is for now the only alternative method of treatment that has been evaluated by using randomised trials and shown to be beneficial around the time of embryo transfer.( Day on and after ET) Therefore it is what I can recommend at this stage in time.

- Week 9 answers kindly provided by Dr. Stephan Volschenk -

The jury is out with regards to the fact that acupuncture ON the day of embryo transfer and on the day FOLLOWING embryo transfer seem to be beneficial from a pregnancy rate point of view. It is however not clear as to what the benefit might be during the period leading up to IVF or for how long.

- Week 9 answers kindly provided by Dr. Stephan Volschenk -