What do you call a cell in a cleavage-stage embryo?

What do you call a cell in a cleavage-stage embryo?

• A. Blastomere
• B. Blastocoele
• C. Chimerism
• D. Bleeding after oocyte aspiration

Answer: (A)

During cleavage, the embryo divides into smaller cells without growing larger, and the individual cells produced are called blastomeres. These blastomeres are the building blocks of the early embryo as it transitions from a two-cell stage to four-cell, eight-cell, and beyond toward the morula and blastocyst. The term blastocoele refers to the fluid-filled cavity within a blastocyst, not a cell. Chimerism describes having two genetically distinct cell populations in one individual, not a single cell type. Bleeding after oocyte aspiration is a procedural complication, not related to cell naming. So, the cell in a cleavage-stage embryo is called a blastomere.

During cleavage, the embryo divides into smaller cells without growing larger, and the individual cells produced are called blastomeres. These blastomeres are the building blocks of the early embryo as it transitions from a two-cell stage to four-cell, eight-cell, and beyond toward the morula and blastocyst. The term blastocoele refers to the fluid-filled cavity within a blastocyst, not a cell. Chimerism describes having two genetically distinct cell populations in one individual, not a single cell type. Bleeding after oocyte aspiration is a procedural complication, not related to cell naming. So, the cell in a cleavage-stage embryo is called a blastomere.