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1. This is an oocyte-cumulus complex which is
identified in the follicular fluid ( aspirated during egg collection )
when this is scanned under the stereozoom microscope in the IVF lab.
Note how shapeless the egg is, and how difficult it is to judge egg
quality by just looking at it under the microscope.
 2. This is
what a mature oocyte looks like when the surrounding cumulus cells have
been stripped off, prior to doing ICSI. Note the small polar body at 6
o'clock which shows that this a mature egg - in metaphase II.
 3. On a casual
inspection, this looks like a good 2-cell embryo, since there are no
fragments, and the cells are equal. However, the lower cell has 2
nuclei. Embryos which have multi-nucleate blastomeres have a lower
chance of implanting, and should not be transferred. I chose this image
to emphasise how important the skill and experience of the embryologist
is !
 4.
This is a 3-cell embryo on Day 2 with fragmentation. Though the blastomeres are equal, about 20% of the embryos is occupied by small
bubble like structures called fragments. This makes it a Grade B embryo.
These fragments arise as a result of cell death, called apoptosis.
Though this embryo has a lower chance of implanting as compared to a
Grade A embryo, many of them do implant successfully, and the babies
which result from these are completely normal.
 5. These
are 4 embryos on Day 2 from one patient. This picture emphasises how
much variability there can be in embryo development, and we still don't
know why some embryos do so well, while others do so poorly. The skill
of the embryologist lies in selecting the best embryo(s) for transfer.
 6. This
image shows that on Day 2, one embryo has only 2-cells, while the other
one has 4-cells. The 4-cells embryo has a better chance of implanting
because it is dividing more rapidly.
 7. 2
blastocysts on Day 5. If you had to select only one to transfer, the one
on the left is a better choice, because it is larger ( and has expanded
more). You can see more images of better embryos
here. |
