Embryos not making it to blastocyst

Hello Doc, my transfer was scheduled for 2 days ago. I chose extended embryo culture (up until day 5) because I had 12 viable embryos. My doctor said this way we would be able to choose only those presenting high quality. On day 4 they told me we had no alternative but to cancel my transfer coz the embryos had stopped their cleavage. Just 8 embryos were available and had made it to day 3… is it possible that they stop their cleavage? Is it normal or not?

Dear charlotte33f,

Embryo can arrest their development for a number of reasons, among which genetic abnormalities can be found. You should keep in mind that the transition from day 3 to day 5 is a key factor in every embryo development process, since this is the very moment in which the embryos gene code is activated. To date, the embryo was “alive” thanks to the genetic material contributed by the egg.

My advice is that you take a karyotype test, if you’ve not taken it already. It helps letting one know if she’s a carrier of a genetic disease or not, which may be compromising the embryos. To that end, a PGD (preimplantation genetic diagnosis) could be useful, as it helps seeing which embryos carry a genetic abnormality and which don’t, and finally transfer only the healthy embryos. If not embryo free from genetic diseases is found, you should consider using donor eggs.

I hope I have been able to help,

Best wishes