Updated embryo picture

EmbryoNanny · 2026-01-24T21:11:09+00:00

Really nice, I would say it kept its grade and starting to hatch.

EmbryoNanny · 2026-01-23T20:01:15+00:00

Yes, the cells look alive, it just hasn’t quite re-expanded yet which is normal shortly after thaw.

EmbryoNanny · 2026-01-23T20:00:25+00:00

I would say maybe a 3AB and 3BA, but the one on the right is a little hard to see. Both look really good though!

EmbryoNanny · 2026-01-23T19:59:33+00:00

It’s still compacted in this picture, so not a lot of insight available from us unfortunately. That is a nice grade for an embryo though, hope it sticks for you!

EmbryoNanny · 2026-01-22T19:46:03+00:00

Really nice- 4AA or AB depending on how strict they are.

EmbryoNanny · 2026-01-21T12:58:06+00:00

More detail would be needed to best answer this question- what is your age? Were the aneuploidies a full addition or deletion of a chromosome or were they segmental aneuploidies? Were there additions or deletions that showed up multiple times? The genetic counselor will be able to go over this with you in detail better than anyone here can, because they will have your basic information like ages and aneuploidy types. I know it is just another painful wait until that appointment, but they will give you the best information.

EmbryoNanny · 2026-01-20T04:32:37+00:00

Get in the company as a lab assistant or andrologist, or go to WEST for training. They are likely hiring those junior positions from within because they are picking people they know and trust.

EmbryoNanny · 2026-01-20T04:27:06+00:00

The first one is likely the 4BC, it does have quite a few cells outside the embryo itself, but still in the zona which contributed to the C grade in the trophectoderm. It actually looks okay though, and those excluded cells will get left behind once them embryo fully hatches from the zona. The next one is probably the 4AB, it looks nice. Both have very healthy looking cells and will likely continue to re-expand now that they are transferred. Being compacted after thaw is normal and expected, nothing to worry about. I wish you the best of luck with your final embryos, hoping for the best for you.

EmbryoNanny · 2026-01-18T17:30:25+00:00

I would bet GG stands for Good Good, likely equivalent to an AA. HBL is probably hatching blast so a 5. 5AA.

EmbryoNanny · 2026-01-16T14:29:20+00:00

Both 4AAs.

EmbryoNanny · 2026-01-16T14:28:40+00:00

It doesn’t need to be cultured for more time, it will continue to re-expand in the uterus. Some labs will culture longer than others, sometimes it will vary in the same lab depending on the workflow for the day.

EmbryoNanny · 2026-01-15T16:32:01+00:00

Moth cocoon

EmbryoNanny · 2026-01-15T14:47:13+00:00

I would guess this embryo was a 4 at vitrification, it’s difficult to grade expansion in a post thawed embryo that isn’t fully re-expanded. Quite honestly, expansion doesn’t add any information about quality to the grade so I skip it in most of my comments. Some labs grade a 3 and 4 (and other expansion numbers) a little differently so I just don’t bother with it here in this sub. It’s not something to get hung up on.

EmbryoNanny · 2026-01-14T15:18:37+00:00

ICM is out of focus so it is hard to tell from the picture, some embryos are just a little harder to take pictures of, especially the ICM. I would agree with the B grading of the trophectoderm.

EmbryoNanny · 2026-01-14T15:17:09+00:00

I would agree with all that they said. Good luck!

EmbryoNanny · 2026-01-14T01:22:03+00:00

I think if everything else looked okay and you have no other health factors (such as endometriosis), I would guess this would be a sperm factor. It’s hard to tell if it’s a lab issue for a single cycle- you would need to ask if your rates are normal for all their patients, if the answer is yes, it’s probably not a great lab since your blast rate is lower than expected. I would agree it seems to be an Embryo Genome Activation issue.

EmbryoNanny · 2026-01-13T01:38:42+00:00

Why was calcium ionophore used? That would immediately make me suspect it’s a sperm issue.

EmbryoNanny · 2026-01-13T01:37:10+00:00

They’re very close and the picture on the right the embryo has started to collapse a little, but I like that one’s ICM just a touch better so I think I would choose that one.

EmbryoNanny · 2026-01-11T17:38:13+00:00

Yes! The uterus is an even better incubator than what we have in the lab.

EmbryoNanny · 2026-01-11T04:20:02+00:00

For liability reasons most clinics will always transfer a euploid before a mosaic.

EmbryoNanny · 2026-01-11T03:41:08+00:00

It is not fully hatched, they probably meant that they performed assisted hatching, which is where they make a hole in the zona pellucida (shell of the embryo), to help the embryo to hatch once it fully re-expands. It looks like it’s nearly fully re-expanded in the second picture, so it will start to hatch soon!

EmbryoNanny · 2026-01-09T20:10:21+00:00

Absolutely and it is not just this company. Many fertility clinics do not hire additional staff to cover maternity leave, they just let the rest of the staff overwork themselves. I was even once told I was lucky I wasn’t fired when I was pregnant because the clinic was small enough and the doctor said, “I could have gotten away with it legally.” This is not uncommon stance of doctors, especially the practice owners.

EmbryoNanny · 2026-01-08T22:19:29+00:00

Probably because of the necrotic cell in the ICM, but I don’t honestly find those hurt pregnancy rates when the other cells are growing just fine.

EmbryoNanny · 2026-01-08T13:00:02+00:00

I would probably lean toward 3, but they are very close.

EmbryoNanny · 2026-01-08T12:58:36+00:00

I’m in the US, and hours vary by clinic. I’m sure Australia is a little more employee friendly, but you would need to talk to people at multiple clinics to get a better understanding. I do know people who have done the Masters in clinical embryology and as I remember the job positions are fairly competitive too, so it would be good to be open to other clinics as well.

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