Medical expert of the article
New publications
The future of the embryo can be predicted by the pattern of movement of the egg cell
Last reviewed: 30.06.2025
All iLive content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible.
We have strict sourcing guidelines and only link to reputable media sites, academic research institutions and, whenever possible, medically peer reviewed studies. Note that the numbers in parentheses ([1], [2], etc.) are clickable links to these studies.
If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please select it and press Ctrl + Enter.
Immediately after fertilization, the cytoplasm of the egg begins to move, and the nature and speed of the cytoplasmic pulsation can be used to determine whether the embryo will be viable.
Scientists from the University of Cambridge (UK) report that they know how to predict the future of a fertilized egg. The method they developed allows you to assess the viability of the embryo, and it is based on observing the smallest movements that occur in the egg immediately after fertilization.
Together with their fellow countrymen from Oxford, the researchers found out that immediately after fertilization, the cytoplasm of the egg begins to pulsate rhythmically, with bulges and protrusions forming and disappearing on the cell surface. Such movements continue for up to four hours and are associated with the activation of the actin and myosin cytoskeleton. Changes in the structure of the cytoskeleton are subject to fluctuations in the concentration of calcium ions that accompany the fertilization process. But, more importantly, the speed and nature of such movements can be used to predict whether the embryo will be normal and viable or whether its development will occur with anomalies and deviations.
The researchers published the results of their experiments in the journal Nature Communications.
The results obtained may be extremely important for in vitro fertilization (IVF), when the fusion of sex cells occurs "in a test tube" and under the supervision of a doctor, and the fertilized egg is implanted into the expectant mother. This process is not always successful, and doctors sometimes implant several fertilized eggs, and monitor the well-being of the embryo by "pinching off" and analyzing the cells of the developing embryo. But several fertilized eggs can all take root at once, and this is not always safe. It is also quite difficult and risky to monitor the well-being of the embryo using a microbiopsy. Not to mention that the IVF procedure is quite expensive, and not everyone can afford to use it several times in a row. Therefore, a method that makes it possible to assess the future of an egg immediately after fertilization and before implantation in the uterus can greatly facilitate the lives of both childless couples and IVF specialists.
However, some scientists caution against excessive optimism about the results. The studies were conducted on the eggs of laboratory mice, and human eggs may behave much more complexly and unpredictably than those of genetically homogeneous laboratory animals. Whether this is true or not will be determined by future experiments; the team has already begun testing their findings on human cells.