Label-free candidate dOCM biomarkers associated with blastocyst quality using total cell count as a proxy

Blastocyst grading during in vitro fertilization relies on subjective morphology, motivating quantitative, label-free biomarkers measurable in blastocysts. We apply dynamic optical coherence microscopy (dOCM) to murine blastocysts and quantify intracellular fluctuation spectra using full- and band-resolved metrics (mean frequency, RMS bandwidth, motility amplitude, and variance fraction). Using cell counting as a benchmark, full-band metrics show no significant differences between low- and high-cell-count cohorts. In contrast, band-resolved analysis reveals higher mid-band mean frequency and increased mid-band RMS bandwidth in higher-cell-count embryos, accompanied by a significant decrease in low-frequency variance fraction. These exploratory results suggest frequency-specific dOCM signatures as candidate biomarkers for blastocyst quality.