Photos From Our Laboratory
Tuesday, September 30th, 2003
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Joe Conaghan, PhD, HCLD is internationally recognized for his work with human embryos and brings nearly two decades of experience in human embryology to the Pacific Fertility Center. More about Dr. Conaghan · Read Other Posts |
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1. A fertilized oocyte (egg) |
This is a fertilized oocyte (egg) 22 hours after the egg retrieval procedure. The egg is the large cell within the thick shell, and its characteristic feature is the 2 nuclei in the center. One of these is the egg’s own nucleus containing the mother’s DNA. The other results from enlargement of the sperm head and contains genetic material from the father. Prior to the sperm’s arrival, the egg discarded ½ of its DNA, and this is visible as some small fragments at the 12 o’ clock position, between the egg and the shell. |
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2. An 8 cell embryo |
This 8 cell embryo is 48 hours older than the embryo in picture # 1. Once an egg is fertilized, it divides into two cells within 12 hours. It then again divides to give 4 cells and again to 8. These later rounds of cell division take about 16 hours each. Consequently, when patients come for embryo transfer 3 days after their retrieval, embryos with the greatest potential will have 6 to 8 cells. This is the time that embryos naturally travel from the fallopian tube into the uterus so it is the perfect time for transfer. |
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3. A 6 day old Blastocyst |
This is a 6 day old blastocyst. It is almost twice the size of the embryos in pictures 1 and 2 (this picture was taken using half the magnification). After the 8-cell stage, fluid accumulates in the center of the embryo between the cells. As this fluid filled cavity expands, cells are pushed to the outside and the embryo expands within its shell. Most of the cells in the embryo are in a single layer around the cavity. These are the cells that will make up the placenta and they are already making the pregnancy hormone, human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG). The remaining cells, organized in a small ball at the 6 o clock position in this picture, will become the fetus. |
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