The cultivation of embryos under optimal conditions is essential for the success of fertility treatments such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) or artificial insemination.
At IVF-Life, we use multi-chamber incubators with a time-lapse system. This technology is used to analyse and track the embryonic development from oocytes to the blastocyst stage (embryo at day 5/6 of development).
The ability to properly evaluate and classify embryos based on their quality allows us to transfer the most optimal embryo first.
Time-lapse technology introduces the concept of stable culture conditions, combined with continuous visualization and documentation of the embryo during its development.
Embryo development is recorded at regular intervals of 5 to 15 minutes. This allows embryologists to carefully evaluate the embryo's progress without removing it from the incubator.
Some time-lapse systems use specialized software to assess embryos based on changes in shape/structure over time, helping to classify them by development.
Several well-known brands of time-lapse monitoring systems are used in assisted reproduction technology for embryo culture and selection. At IVF-Life, we use GERI and Embryoscope technology.
EmbryoScope and GERI are closed monitoring systems that allow continuous observation of embryonic development without requiring embryologists to remove the embryos from the incubator.
Embryo selection using time-lapse systems offers greater reliability, as it provides many images of the embryo’s development. This gives embryologists much more information to precisely select the embryos with the greatest implantation and pregnancy potential.
It is particularly important that time-lapse monitoring allows observation of embryonic development without disturbing incubation conditions, unlike traditional monitoring, which involved periodically observing embryos under a microscope, disrupting the continuity of their culture.
Additionally, the ability to select embryos for transfer based on objective criteria has significantly improved treatment success, increasing both implantation rates and the number of healthy babies born.
Embryologists place the embryos in the time-lapse incubator, which is equipped with cameras that capture images at regular intervals. The images taken of the embryos from different angles with high-resolution cameras are stored in a computer system. From the captured images, videos are generated that show the embryo’s development, from fertilization to the moment of transfer.
This allows embryologists to observe each stage of embryonic development in detail. Later, the videos are analyzed by specialized software. This helps identify embryonic development patterns and select embryos with the highest implantation potential.
Thanks to the extensive information the IVF-Life laboratory has about cellular division times, embryos are objectively classified by quality.
This can be high, medium, or low. In this way, it is possible to decide which embryo is most likely to reach the blastocyst stage and, therefore, which will be the best embryo to transfer to the patient.