title: Pronuclear scoring as a predictor of embryo quality in in vitro fertilization program.
abstract: Many strategies have been proposed for the selection of viable embryos for transfer in human assisted reproduction. These have included morphological scoring criteria for 20, 28, 44 and 68 h after insemination. The embryo selection is based on morphology, degree of fragmentation and development to the 8-cell. All have shown some correlation with implantation. However, the overall success of these methods is still limited, with over 50% of all transferred embryos failing to implant. Pronuclear zygote morphology has gained much attention recently due to its positive value in predicting implantation and pregnancy. This prospective study involved 178 conventional IVF patients only. The key aspects of pronuclear scoring and namely the presence of a cytoplasmic halo were related to day 3 of development and morphology in a retrospective study. The Z-score and the presence/absence of a halo had significant effect on the rate of development on day 3 embryo. Low Z-score result in slow development and poor morphology. The absence of a halo also resulted in slow and poor development, low morphology, increased fragmentation.
authors.affiliation: Division of Infertility and Reproductive Endocrinology, Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Karol Marcinkowski University of Medical Sciences in Poznan, Poland. magdzik_24@o2.pl
authors.forename: Magdalena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Depa-Martynow
authors.forename: Piotr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Jedrzejczak
authors.forename: Leszek
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pawelczyk
mesh_terms: D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000648:ultrastructure; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000648:ultrastructure; D047108:Embryonic Development; D005260:Female; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011446:Prospective Studies; D015053:Zygote / Q000145:classification* / Q000648:ultrastructure*