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Why one cycle has several different counts
During IVF, the clinical and laboratory teams discuss follicles, eggs, mature eggs, fertilized eggs and embryos. Each count describes a different point in the pathway. An ultrasound follicle count is not the same as the number of eggs retrieved, and the number retrieved is not a promise of the eventual blastocyst or transfer count.
Keeping the stages in order makes a previous treatment record more useful for review. It also helps explain why a case story can report a good laboratory result without yet reporting a pregnancy.
A guide to the sequence
Scroll across to view all columns.
| Record | What it describes | What to ask |
|---|---|---|
| Egg retrieval | The eggs collected at the procedure. | How many were mature, and what was recorded about the others? |
| Maturity | The laboratory’s assessment of egg maturity. Mature eggs may be recorded as MII. | Were any immature eggs cultured further, and what happened next? |
| Fertilization | The fertilization findings after conventional IVF or ICSI. | Which fertilization method was used, and how many eggs fertilized? |
| Embryo culture | Development during culture, including whether embryos reached the blastocyst stage. | At which culture stage was the result recorded? |
| Grading | The observed appearance and development recorded for a blastocyst. | How does the team interpret the grade alongside the rest of the record? |
| Genetic testing | The result of the particular analysis planned for embryo biopsy material. | Was the test PGT-A, PGT-M or PGT-SR, and what did it examine? |
Embryo appearance and genetic testing answer different questions
A grade such as 5AA or 5BA is not itself a chromosome result. Equally, the number of blastocysts selected for biopsy does not tell you how many passed the planned genetic analysis.
PGT-A examines chromosome-number findings, PGT-M addresses a known single-gene condition, and PGT-SR addresses structural chromosome rearrangements. Bring the full testing report rather than describing every result simply as “screening.”
Read about the different embryo genetic tests.
Two examples of why the stages matter
In the three-egg case, three mature eggs fertilized, three blastocysts developed and all three passed the reported PGT-A screening. These were successive observations in one patient’s cycle.
In the review of two earlier cycles, the INCITA cycle yielded nineteen eggs, thirteen mature and fertilized eggs, ten blastocysts and seven embryos passing screening. At the time of that account, the patient was preparing for transfer. The screening count was not a pregnancy count.
Organizing a record for another consultation
Keep the retrieval date, egg-maturity findings, fertilization method, embryo-culture results and complete genetic report together. Add the transfer record and later blood-test or ultrasound follow-up if those stages took place.
When comparing two cycles, check that the figures refer to the same stage. Tell the team which details are missing so that the consultation can focus on the information available rather than assumptions about the earlier treatment.