Embryo Culture

Embryos are cultured until either embryo transfer or cryopreservation. Cleavage-stage embryos are evaluated using grading systems that assess number of cells, degree of fragmentation, symmetry of blastomeres and presence of multinucleation and/or cytoplasmic granularity. Blastocysts are graded based on the extent of blastocoel expansion and the morphology of both the inner cell mass (ICM) and the trophectoderm (TE).