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The end point of an IVF treatment cycle is an embryo; and an
IVF lab will successfully create many embryos in the lab for most of
their patients. Good IVF labs routinely show patients their embryos; but
unfortunately many labs don't, which means most patients are clueless
about how good the quality of their embryos is. However, this is vitally
important information, so you can assess your chances of conceiving, and
modify the next treatment cycle accordingly.
Here's a visual guide to embryos, so you can
appreciate what your embryos are meant to look like.
1. This is a 2-cell embryo on Day 2. The zona ( shell) is normal and
uniform; each of the cells ( called blastomeres) is equal in size with a
clear cytoplasm. You can also see a single central nucleus clearly in
the right hand cell. There are a few fragments as well, which appear
like bubbles, but since these are less than 10%, this would be
considered to a Grade A embryo.
 2. This is
a 4-cell embryo on Day 2. The cells are clear and equal; and there is
less than 10% fragmentation, which makes this a Grade A embryo. This is
better than a 2-cell embryo, because it is dividing more rapidly, and
has a better chance of becoming a baby !
 3. This is
a Grade A 5-cell embryo on Day 2. The reason I have included this image
is to emphasise that not all the cells in an embryo divide at the same
time, so it's perfectly normal to see embryos which have an odd number
of cells ! You can clearly see the central nucleus in the top cell.
4. This is a 8-cell embryo on Day 3. The cells are clear and equal; and
there is no fragmentation, which makes this a Grade A embryo.This is the
sort of embryo which delights an embryologist's heart !
5. This is a 10-cell compacting embryo on Day 3. The edges between the
cells are getting blurred, so it's becoming harder to count the number
of cells.
6. This is a morula on Day 4. The cells borders have become indistinct
and are said to be compacting.
 7.
This a hatched expanded blastocyst on Day 6. This is a perfect embryo -
every embryologist's dream ! You can see that the blastocyst has escaped
from the zona ( which means it has hatched); and that the blastocyst is
now much larger from the zona ( which means it has expanded). Such
an embryo has no business not becoming a baby when transferred into the
uterus, but the implantation rate even with such a beautiful embryo is
only 40%. You can see some more pictures of
embryos on the next page. |
