title: Oocyte morphology correlates with embryo quality and pregnancy rate after intracytoplasmic sperm injection.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the relation of oocyte morphology with embryo quality and pregnancy rates (PRs) after intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective study of patients undergoing ICSI.
  
  
  METHODS
  University Hospital IVF Center.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty-eight patients who underwent ICSI and had transfer of good-quality embryos (grade 3), 60 patients with transfer of both good- and poor-quality embryos (grade 3 and grade 2), and 18 patients with transfer of poor-quality embryos (grade 2).
  
  
  METHODS
  Comparison of the outcome of ICSI in the three groups of patients and the relation of oocyte morphology to embryo quality.
  
  
  METHODS
  Oocyte morphology and embryo quality (grade). Fertilization, cleavage, and pregnancy rates. Serum E2 on the day of hCG administration.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Oocytes with poor morphology (dark cytoplasm; many vacuoles or fragments in cytoplasm) led to poor-quality embryos and consequently to lower PRs (5.5% versus 29.4%). Serum E2 on the day of hCG administration was significantly higher in the group with good-quality embryos compared with that with poor-quality embryos (2,047 +/- 135.7 versus 1,651 +/- 164.8 pg/mL, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Serum E2 on the day of hCG administration is a marker of embryo quality. Oocyte morphology correlates well with embryo quality and PRs after ICSI.
authors.affiliation: Alexandra Maternity Hospital, First Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Athens University Medical School, Greece.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Loutradis
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Drakakis
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kallianidis
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Milingos
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dendrinos
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Michalas
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003593:Cytoplasm; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian / Q000502:physiology*; D004958:Estradiol / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007248:Infertility, Male; D008297:Male; D009865:Oocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin; D004958:Estradiol