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Blastocyst embryo pictures and photos from IVF, In Vitro Fertilization

Page 1 of 2 of grading and pictures of blastocysts from IVF

Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago
Gurnee & Crystal Lake, Illinois
IVF Specialist Clinic


Definition of a blastocyst:
 A blastocyst is an embryo which has developed to the point of having 2 different cell components and a fluid cavity. Human embryos, in culture in an IVF lab, or developing naturally in the female body, usually reach the blastocyst stage by day 5 after fertilization. Blastocyst transfer with IVF can give high pregnancy success rates with very low risk of triplets.

Our Overall IVF Success Rates                Our Blastocyst Transfer IVF Success Rates

Picture of blastocyst at time of embryo transfer
 Blastocyst picture of a high quality human blastocyst embryo 5 days after in vitro fertilization
The clump of cells in the 10 to 12 o'clock area in the picture make up the inner cell mass which become the fetus (see labels below)

Day 5 human blastocyst picture showing inner cell mass
Another picture of a high quality labeled human blastocyst
The cells which will become the fetus are in the area labeled as "ICM" (inner cell mass)
The blastocoel cavity in the center is labeled as "C"
The trophectoderm cells that will form the placenta surround the cavity - one is labeleded with a "T"

Blastocyst Development and Blastocyst Quality Grading (or scoring)

There are three distinct parts to a blastocyst - the two cell types and the fluid cavity (see labeled blastocyst photo above). As development of blastocysts progresses, the cells in each of the 2 components divide and the fluid cavity enlarges. With continued blastocyst development the embryo expands, the shell thins, and it hatches out of its shell. Our IVF clinic and many others that do blastocyst culture and transfer use a blastocyst scoring system originally developed and published by Dr. David Gardner in the late 1990's. Dr. Gardner is well known for being first to develop a commercially available embryo culture media system that supported high rates of viable blastocyst development. There are other grading systems for blastocysts , but this one is the most widely used.

This blastocyst grading system assigns 3 separate quality scores to each blastocyst embryo:

  1. Blastocyst development stage - expansion and hatching status

  2. Inner cell mass (ICM) score, or quality

  3. Trophectoderm (TE) score, or quality

 
Expansion
grade		 Blastocyst development and stage status
1

Blastocoel cavity less than half the volume of the embryo
2

Blastocoel cavity more than half the volume of the embryo
3

Full blastocyst, cavity completely filling the embryo
4

Expanded blastocyst, cavity larger than the embryo, with thinning of the shell
5 Hatching out of the shell
6 Hatched out of the shell

 

ICM grade

Inner cell mass quality
A

Many cells, tightly packed
B

Several cells, loosely grouped
C

Very few cells

 

TE grade

Trophectoderm quality
A

Many cells, forming a cohesive layer
B

Few cells, forming a loose epithelium
C Very few large cells

Blastocysts are given a quality grade for each of the 3 components and the score is expressed with the expansion grade listed first, the inner cell mass grade listed second and the trophectoderm grade third. For example, a blastocyst quality grade of 4AB means that the blastocyst is expanded (grade 4), has many tightly packed cells in the inner cell mass (grade A), and has a trophectoderm with few cells forming a loose epithelium (grade B).

Embryos at earlier stages (before blastocyst) are often graded according to the regularity of the cells and the percentage of fragmentation seen in the embryo. However, blastocyst fragments are not generally notable and those issues are not part of most blastocyst grading systems. More about grading of cleavage stage human embryos.

See blastocyst grading pictures below:

Early stage blastocyst grading pictures:

Early blastocyst IVF embryo picture

Early blastocyst from in vitro fertilization

 Grade 1AB early blastocyst human embryo

Early blastocyst

Early blastocyst

 1AB
Cavity very small = Can't yet grade
Inner cell mass = Can't yet grade
Trophectoderm = Can't yet grade		 Cavity very small = Can't yet grade
Inner cell mass = Can't yet grade
Trophectoderm = Can't yet grade		 Cavity less than 1/2 embryo's volume = 1
Inner cell mass = A
Trophectoderm = B

Intermediate stage blastocyst grading pictures:

Stage 2BB blastocyst

Stage 2BC blastocyst

 Image of stage 3BB blastocyst

2BB

 2BC 3BB
Cavity more than 1/2 embryo's volume = 2
Inner cell mass = B
Trophectoderm = B		 Cavity more than 1/2 embryo's volume = 2
Inner cell mass = B
Trophectoderm = C		 Cavity completely fills embryo = 3
Inner cell mass = B
Trophectoderm = B

Large, well expanded blastocyst grading pictures:

Blastocyst of high quality grade 4AA for IVF Grade 4AB blastocyst picture from IVF Image of 4BB grade blastocyst

4AA

 4AB 4BB
Well expanded = 4
Inner cell mass = A
Trophectoderm = A		 Well expanded = 4
Inner cell mass = A
Trophectoderm = B		 Well expanded = 4
Inner cell mass = B
Trophectoderm = B

 

Blastocyst hatching out of its shell
5AA
Blastocyst hatching out of shell = 5
Inner cell mass = A
Trophectoderm = A

In the lower left the blastocyst and inner cell mass are seen inside its shell
At the upper right of the picture the blastocyst is hatching out of its shell

Hatching blastocyst grading pictures:

Hatching blastocyst photo
Picture of another hatching blastocyst on day 6 of in vitro culture
It is almost completely hatched out of its shell, or zona pellucida (seen at lower left of image)
After the blastocyst hatches, it begins to invade into the uterine lining to "implant"
This embryo has a quality grade of 5AA (inner cell mass seen at the bottom is out of the plane of focus)
The dark areas at the top and lower right of the photo are shadows in the drop of culture media

A healthy blastocyst will implant within about one to two days following IVF transfer, very soon after blastocyst hatching

Some other blastocyst scoring systems will give a grade D blastocyst score to cells that do not appear healthy. Other grading systems will grade even lower, such as giving grades of E and F to blastocysts or to individual components. The more grades that are possible to give, the more descriptive - and more complicated the system will be.

More pictures of blastocysts

Pictures of human eggs and embryos at other stages of development


Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago

        Gurnee, IL                        Crystal Lake, IL
  (847) 662-1818                                 (815) 356-1818


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