What do eggs look like right after collection?

The photo below is what we see down the microscope as we collect the eggs.

The fluffy cumulus is what holds the egg in the follicle and helps the maturation process through hormone release. The egg is the black circles inside. We denude or strip the cumulus off and this helps us see the maturation of the egg prior to insemination.

If the egg will be inseminated with conventional IVF, we leave the cells on to allow the sperm to interact and eventually breakdown the cumulus. Then fertilization can be achieved.