Quality standards for IVF embryos
In vitro fertilization (IVF) refers to the process of combining sperm and eggs in the laboratory through in vitro fertilization (IVF) technology, and then transplanting normal embryos into the female uterus to achieve pregnancy and delivery. In the process of IVF, embryo quality is one of the key factors that determine whether the embryo is healthy, and then affect the success rate of pregnancy. The following are the embryo quality standards for IVF.
1. Cell morphology
The cell morphology of an embryo is one of the important indicators for evaluating its quality. Normal early embryos have relatively uniform cell division, even concentration of embryonic cell endoplasmic, and no abnormal mitosis. The better embryo quality is characterized by relatively high proliferation rate, uniform cells and no bad cells.
In the IVF process, the evaluation of embryo quality mainly includes the evaluation of the number of cells and the uniformity of cells in the embryo. Generally speaking, the most ideal quality is that the internal quality is uniform, and the number of cells is more than the number required for normal embryos. Therefore, the cell morphology of embryos during IVF is widely used as one of the criteria for evaluating embryo quality.
2. Maturity of embryo
Embryo maturity refers to the stage of embryonic development. Embryos can be divided into single cell stage, 2-4 cell stage, early blastocyst stage, whole cavity blastocyst stage, etc. The higher the maturity of the embryo, the faster its development speed and the better its quality may be.
In the process of IVF, professional hospitals will choose the right time for embryo transfer according to the maturity of the embryo. Generally, embryos with higher maturity (such as whole cavity blastocysts) have higher embryo implantation ability, so they are often preferred.
3. Chromosome abnormalities
Chromosome abnormality is a common problem in IVF, which can lead to the failure of embryo implantation, normal pregnancy or easy spontaneous abortion. Therefore, the evaluation of chromosomal abnormalities in embryos is one of the important criteria for IVF.
In chromosome assessment, the common method is to screen chromosome problems by taking a small number of cells for general chromosome karyotype analysis. Once serious chromosomal abnormalities are found in the embryo, the doctor will recommend abandoning the embryo and choosing another healthy embryo for transfer.
4. Quality grading of embryo
The quality grading of embryos is based on their appearance. The common grading system is based on the transparency of embryo blastocyst cavity, the uniformity of cells, the number of cells and other indicators to evaluate. Generally speaking, embryos with higher scores have better quality and higher implantation and growth potential.
For example, the commonly used quality grading systems in modern IVF technology are: Level A (good embryo development, high blastocyst transparency, uniform and healthy cells), Level B (moderate embryo development, general blastocyst transparency, and general cell uniformity), and Level C (poor embryo development, low blastocyst transparency, and insufficient cells).
To sum up, the embryo quality assessment of IVF is a comprehensive process, including cell morphology, embryo maturity, chromosome abnormalities and quality grading. The hospital will select the best embryo for transplantation according to these standards to improve the pregnancy success rate of IVF.
Summary
The embryo quality assessment of IVF is very important for the success of pregnancy. The evaluation of cell morphology, embryo maturity, chromosome abnormality screening and embryo quality grading are commonly used to evaluate embryo quality. Through the comprehensive evaluation of these indicators, hospitals can select the embryos that are most likely to develop into healthy embryos for transplantation, thus improving the success rate of IVF.
