Chromosomes of mouse embryos in vivo and in vitro: effect of manipulation, maternal age and gamete ageing.

The use of human material does not allow the determination of the influence of different parameters on the genetic characteristics of the embryos derived from in-vitro fertilization (IVF) techniques. Using a murine model we assessed the effect of gamete manipulation, maternal age and oocyte ageing on the chromosome complements of the embryos. We have found a positive correlation between all these parameters and the incidence of chromosome abnormalities in first-cleavage mouse embryos obtained by IVF.