PURPOSE: Our purpose was to evaluate the effect of the second polar body removal on the viability and development potential of the resulting embryos. METHOD: The second polar body was removed in 343 mouse oocytes and the development potential of the resulting embryos was compared in vitro to that in 223 intact mouse embryos and 222 controls which were placed under the same conditions as those micromanipulated. RESULTS: The proportion of morphologically normal blastocysts formed by polar body biopsied oocytes (70.8%) was not significantly different from that obtained from the control (81.1%) and intact (85%) oocytes. Cell counts of blastocysts obtained from the manipulated and non-manipulated oocytes were also not statistically different. CONCLUSION: The second polar body biopsy does not have a significant adverse effect on preimplantation development and may be applied for genetic evaluation of oocytes.
PURPOSE: Our purpose was to evaluate the effect of the second polar body removal on the viability and development potential of the resulting embryos. METHOD: The second polar body was removed in 343 mouse oocytes and the development potential of the resulting embryos was compared in vitro to that in 223 intact mouse embryos and 222 controls which were placed under the same conditions as those micromanipulated. RESULTS: The proportion of morphologically normal blastocysts formed by polar body biopsied oocytes (70.8%) was not significantly different from that obtained from the control (81.1%) and intact (85%) oocytes. Cell counts of blastocysts obtained from the manipulated and non-manipulated oocytes were also not statistically different. CONCLUSION: The second polar body biopsy does not have a significant adverse effect on preimplantation development and may be applied for genetic evaluation of oocytes.