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Blastocyst Culture

San Diego Embryo Development

The following day after eggs have been inseminated or injected with a single sperm (ICSI), they are examined for signs that the process of fertilization is underway. At this stage, normal development is evident by the still single cell having 2 nuclei; this stage is called a zygote.

Embryo development usually proceeds as follows:

  • Two days after insemination or ICSI, normal embryos have divided into about 4 cells.
  • Three days after insemination or ICSI, normally developing embryos contain about 8 cells.
  • Five days after insemination or ICSI, normally developing embryos have developed to the blastocyst stage, which is typified by an embryo that now has 80 or more cells, an inner fluid-filled cavity, and a small cluster of cells called the inner cell mass.

It is important to note that since many eggs and embryos are abnormal, it is expected that not all eggs will fertilize and not all embryos will divide at a normal rate. The chance that a developing embryo will produce a pregnancy is related to whether its development in the lab is normal, but this correlation is not perfect. This means that not all embryos developing at the normal rate are in fact also genetically normal, and not all poorly developing embryos are genetically abnormal. Nonetheless, their visual appearance is the most common and useful guide in the selection of the best embryo(s) for transfer.

We Monitor Eggs for Quality

The Hanabusa Embryologist Team gives special care throughout every step of a couple’s journey to parenthood. Just as our approach to IVF focuses on retrieving the best quality eggs and combining them with the healthiest sperm, we similarly make a great effort to ensure that we carefully nurture your embryos so that they can develop into advanced stage embryos. With that done, we then culture embryos to the blastocyst stage (usually around day 5) so that we can identify and eliminate poorer quality embryos and avoid failed embryo transfers and/or miscarriages.

Patient Testimonials
  • "I would highly recommend Hanabusa to anyone. Dr. Chang, Ai, and everyone we worked with made it possible for us to have a baby with individualized care throughout our journey. I’m so thankful for you!"

    - Submitted By L.R.
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  • "Thank you for taking such amazing care of us! And thank you for coming to meet us on a Saturday night for emergency medication after CVS Caremark and UPS messed up! I have been to several IVF clinic ..."

    - Submitted By LC
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  • "We are very happy to announce the birth of our son! The embryo that was tested for PGT but came back “unknown” for result turned out to be a very healthy boy! It took a lot of testings/procedures ..."

    - Submitted By Sk
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  • "I wanted to send you a personal note to express my sincerest gratitude for making our dreams come true. Before I found Hanabusa, we thought there was no chance we would be able to have a family. We ..."

    - Submitted By SA
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  • "Thank you everyone. The team here will always be apart of making my journey worthwhile. You all have been so supportive and great and took really great care of me. Thank you Dr. Chang for ..."

    - Submitted By PS
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  • "Just wanted to take a moment and thank each and everyone of you for spending so much time even through all these changes the attention to detail and the attention that you have paid me is greatly ..."

    - Submitted By B.P. Proud Surrogate
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  • "I am completely confident in Hanabusa in treating and providing IVF to me. I am overwhelmed about the way they communicate and provide/ tailor treatment to my body specifically. Such a different ..."

    - Submitted By RR
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  • "Truly, every person working in Hanabusa that I have had the pleasure of meeting so far has been open, warm, competent and caring. What a beautiful atmosphere they cultivate :)"

    - Submitted By P.T.
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  • "I have had a wonderful experience with Hanabusa IVF this far. My husband and I are in the midst of a retrieval cycle. This our first round of IVF after 8 years of trying to conceive on our own. ..."

    - Submitted By K.B.
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  • "So far I have experienced in your clinic is what I have been looking for in this long journey. Your service is excellent, everyone is friendly and professional, Dr. Chang knows my medical history from ..."

    - Submitted By Y.H.
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