title: Early cleavage morphology affects the quality and implantation potential of day 3 embryos.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the development and implantation potential of early-cleaved embryos displaying various morphological patterns.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective analysis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Private IVF center.
  
  
  METHODS
  Embryos obtained from 1,556 transfer cycles were assessed. Early-cleaved embryos were grouped according to their cleavage patterns as: even (1,490); uneven (3,238); and fragmented (768), or according to nuclear morphologies as: mononucleation (2,008) and other nuclear morphologies; nonmononucleation (3,488). Seven thousand four hundred forty-five embryos were late cleaved.
  
  
  METHODS
  None.
  
  
  METHODS
  Embryo quality, pregnancy (PR), and implantation rates.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Day 3 embryo quality was highest in evenly early-cleaved embryos and in those displaying mononucleation. Early-cleaved embryos displaying fragmentation and late-cleaved embryos yielded the poorest day 3 quality. Early cleavage cycles displayed higher PR and implantation rate than late cleavage with the exception of other nuclear morphologies, in which similar outcome was obtained. Mononucleated early-cleaved embryos implanted at a higher frequency than early-cleaved embryos displaying other nuclear morphologies.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The morphology of early cleavage correlates to day 3 embryo quality and implantation rate.
authors.affiliation: Bahceci Women Health Care Center, German Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Haydar Nadir
authors.initials: HN
authors.lastname: Ciray
authors.forename: Levent
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Karagenç
authors.forename: Ulun
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Ulug
authors.forename: Faruk
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bener
authors.forename: Mustafa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bahçeci
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002970:Cleavage Stage, Ovum; D010064:Embryo Implantation; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D047108:Embryonic Development; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D018873:Pregnancy Rate; D012189:Retrospective Studies