Abstract :Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the embryo development rate, embryo quality
and cleavage status of the Early Cleaved (EC) and NEC (No Early Cleavage) embryos and to analyze
early embryo cleavage as a parameter for embryo selection process after Intracytoplasmic Sperm
Injection (ICSI).
Materials and Methods: A total of 184 patients were included in the study. All embryos were
checked for early cleavage at 25 hr to 27 hrs post ICSI. Embryo quality and embryo cleavage rates
of the EC and NEC embryos were compared. For pregnancy assessment the patients were divided
into two groups according to the presence of early cleaved embryos that were transferred. In the
first group, all the embryos transferred were EC embryos and in the second group at least one of the
embryos was NEC embryos.
Results: Normal embryo development rate (normal blastomere number at the time of embryo
transfer) was found significantly higher in the EC embryos than in the NEC embryos (82.9% and
65.6% respectively) (p: 0.001). Embryo qualities were higher in the EC group. Pregnancy rates were
significantly higher in the EC group (46.5% and 37.5% respectively).
Conclusion: EC embryos develop more normally, have better quality and have higher pregnancy
rates when transferred hence should be used as an important parameter for embryo selection after
ICSI.