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In Vitro Fertilization Picture of Morula Stage Embryo
Day 4 human IVF embryo
Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago
Gurnee & Crystal Lake, Illinois
Morula stage IVF embryos
High quality day 4 embryo from in vitro fertilization
This is a compacting morula
There are many cells and the cell borders are becoming fuzzy as the embryo "compacts"
With compaction it looks as though the cells are "melting together"
A morula contains about 10 - 30 cells. The morula stage is the final stage prior to formation of a fluid filled cavity called the blastocoel cavity. Once the cavitation has occurred, we can see the fluid in the cavity between the cells and we call the embryo an early blastocyst. Although morula stage embryos are usually seen on day 4 and blastocysts are usually seen on day 5, sometimes we have only morulas on day 5. In such a case, we do not know if the embryos are slower than average because they are weaker, or because they are strong and healthy but just going a little slower than average. Transferring morulas on day 5 results in a reasonable pregnancy rate, although it is not as high as the pregnancy rate with blastocyst transfer on day 5.
Embryo arrest at the morula stage is not uncommon, which is one reason that transfer at the blastocyst stage can be a beneficial IVF treatment strategy.
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