Good Egg = Good Embryo?

Scientists and fertility doctors have long tried to figure out what makes a good egg that will produce a healthy embryo. It's a particularly critical question for fertility doctors deciding which eggs isolated from a woman will produce the best embryos and, ultimately, babies.

In fact, most women are surprised how much of a shot in the dark it really is.

But, new research reveals healthy eggs need a tremendous amount of zinc to reach maturity and be ready for fertilization - a finding that may ultimately help physicians assess the best eggs for fertility treatment, according to a study from Northwestern University.

"Understanding zinc's role may eventually help us measure the quality of an egg and lead to advances in fertility treatment," said Alison Kim, a postdoctoral fellow in obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. "Currently we can't predict which eggs isolated from a woman produce the best embryos and will result in a baby. Not all eggs are capable of becoming healthy embryos."