Does removing a single cell harm the future fetus?
Every cell of the embryo is totipotent until the fourth day after fertilization. Totipotency refers to a cell’s ability to become any type of cell, and eventually any type of tissue. Blastomere extraction is performed three days after fertilization or earlier, so at this point, the remaining cells can form a whole fetus. As current data indicates, removing a single cell from the day-three embryo does not appear to harm the fetus. However, sometimes additional cells must be removed in or to obtain an intact nucleus for analysis. Removal of additional cells may reduce the embryo’s ability to continue to develop.
