Polar bodies are cells that are formed during cell division of the egg cell before fertilization. Polar bodies are not capable of fertilization and contain only half of the entire maternal genome.
A polar body biopsy is particularly suitable for patients older than 35 years – i.e. patients with an already high proportion of genetically abnormal oocytes who want to improve the success rate of their IVF/ICSI treatment.
The treatment steps in a polar body biopsy cycle are essentially the same as those in an ordinary IVF/ICSI treatment cycle. The only difference is that, in addition, the biopsy of the polar bodies is performed shortly before embryo formation.
As a rule, the result of the genetic laboratory is available within a few days, and it is almost always possible to carry out the (fresh) embryo transfer 5 days after egg retrieval, as in the ordinary ICSI cycle.
During a course of treatment with polar body biopsy, all retrieved oocytes are obligatorily fertilized with ICSI.
In the case of PKD, it is unfortunately possible that the genetic analysis of some (or rarely all) embryos cannot be performed or is inconclusive. There is also the possibility that all biopsied polar bodies are genetically abnormal.
