View Fresh Embryos

Embryos retrieved from donors using an embryo flush Embryos are harvested by being flushed out of a superovulated cow that has already been bred. or those gathered in a vial from an IVF In-Vitro Fertilization. In relation to embryo transfers, IVF occurs when oocytes (eggs) are collected via OPU (ovum pick up), and then in a lab, semen is added to create embryos. procedure are considered to be "fresh", as they are transferred to a recipient animal shortly after retrieval and are not frozen or otherwise preserved.

Fresh embryo transfers have been shown to have slightly higher pregnancy rates over frozen embryos. As freezing technology and techniques improve, however, frozen embryos are showing continued improvement in achieving pregnancy rates that approach those of fresh transfers.

Before You Begin

Prior to entering your embryos to inventory, be sure to have all required details available. Verify that the lab report or other listing that accompanied the delivery of your embryos is handy and available for reference. Note that the following details are required to add embryos to inventory:

• Sire NAAB National Association of Animal Breeders. www.naab-css.org code, Name, or ISO International Organization for Standardization, a global organization that promotes commercial and industrial standards. ID Identifier
• Donor ID, Name, or ISO ID
• Breeding Date
• Frozen Date (for frozen embryos)

In addition to the required items, other information that is useful when preparing to add embryos includes: 

• Embryo breed
• Straw or Vial details
• Embryo counts

1. To add new fresh embryos, click the Options button at the top right of the Embryo Inventory page and select Add Fresh Embryos.

Complete all required fields and any additional details for the embryos.

See the following definitions for help adding embryo details. All required fields are marked with the * (asterisk) symbol: 

• Sire: Indicates which bull’s semen was used to fertilize the donor's egg to produce the embryo. Start typing the sire's NAAB code, Name, or ISO ID to bring up matching animals, and then click to select the correct sire:

  

• Donor: The donor female who provided the embryo or oocyte An unfertilized egg. (sometimes referred to as the donor dam). Start typing the donor's ID, Name, BNAME Barn name, or ISO ID to bring up matching animals, and then click to select the correct donor:

  

  NOTE: the PULSE Platform supports adding embryos from donor animals that have died.

• Incubator: The warming unit containing the embryo's straw or vial.

• Type: The harvest method used:

  • Flush (for embryos)
  • IVF (In Vitro Fertilization - for oocytes Unfertilized eggs.)
  • Other (for when the harvest method was neither of the above)
• Embryo Breed: The embryo breed. Select from the standard list of NAAB breeds.

• Breeding Date: The date the donor's eggs were fertilized with the sire's semen.

• Stored In: The plastic Straw or Vial containing the embryo. Each straw contains a single embryo, while vials may contain multiple embryos.

  If Vial is selected, the following fields become available: 

  • Vial: The vial number for the embryo(s).
  • Embryos: Total number of identical embryos in the vial.

  If Straw is selected, the following fields become available:

• From Straw: The first straw number that contains this embryo.

• To Straw: The last straw number that contains this embryo. This allows the PULSE Platform to calculate the total number of embryos to be added. For instance, if you add embryos From Straw 6 To Straw 11, a total of 6 embryos are added. After you add From Straw and To Straw values, the Add button updates to include the straw/embryo count:
  

  NOTE: To add a single embryo, enter the same number in the From Straw and To Straw fields.

• Stage: The stage at which the embryo was harvested:

  • 1 = Unfertilized
  • 2 = Simple Celled
  • 3 = Early Morula
  • 4 = Morula
  • 5 = Early Blastocyst
  • 6 = Blastocyst
  • 7 = Expanded Blastocyst
  • 8 = Hatched Blastocyst
  • 9 = Expanded and Hatched Blastocyst

3. Click Add. A message indicates the total number of added embryos:
   

If you make an error in any of the entry fields, see Manage Embryos.