AMERICAN COLLEGE OF EMBRYOLOGY
With more eggs and embryos traveling across the country and across the world, it is often difficult to interpret the grade of the embryos received from a different laboratory. Also, existing grading systems are often confusing to physicians and patients.
EMBCOL Practice Committee has drafted a proposal for a coding system that would be easy to interpret for all parties involved: EMBCOL Translational Coding System for eggs and embryos (ETCT) (ETCE).
Please note that the EMBCOL coding system does not interfere with any specific oocyte/embryo grading system adopted in your laboratory. Rather, it provides a translatable system that all participants of the process (patients, physicians and Embryology practitioners) can easily understand. both nationally and internationally.
Furthermore, specific details of single gene or chormosomal abnormalities are intentionally omitted from the ETCE TECS as they must be described in detail in the accompanying report from the genetic testing laboratory.
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EMBCOL proposes following six blocks of information for egg/embryo coding.
[stage] - [day of development]- [quality] - [biopsy] - [PGT] - [freezing/thawing]
| Stage | E (egg), Z (zygote), 2C-16C (cells number), M (morula), BL (blastocyst) |
| Day of development | 0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7 |
| Quality (before freezing) | A (above average), B (average), C (below average), D (non-viable) |
| Biopsy | NB (not biopsied), BP (biopsied) |
| PGT | N (normal), M (mozaic), AB (abnormal), CR (carrier), NA (not applicable) |
| Freezing/Thawing survival | NF (not-frozen - fresh), FV (frozen by vitrification), FS (frozen by slow freezing), 100% , 75%, 50%, 25% |
Examples:
1. An egg of an average quality, which survived thawing will be coded as: E-0-B-NB-NA-100%
2. An average quality, day 3, 8 cells embryo, not biopsied and frozen by vitrification will be coded as: 8C-3-B-NB-NA-FV
3. An esxcelled quality, biopsied, normal, day 5 blastocyst, which survived thawign without any damage will be coded as: BL-5-A-BP-N-100%
4. An esxcelled quality, not-biopsied, day 5 blastocyst, which is transferred fresh will be coded as: BL-5-A-NB-NA-NF