Homozygous ovaries are significantly smaller than wild-type and have various structural defects. The karyosome is often fragmented and appears as two to three fuzzy spots within the oocyte nucleus. The oocyte appears smaller than the nurse cells and the columnar follicle cell epithelium covers approximately half the egg chamber, surrounding not only the oocyte, but a portion of the nurse cells. These egg chambers have two anterior cortical actin rings. 67% of eggs laid by homozygous females have a posterior aeropyle and show strong ventralisation, 11% have a posterior aeropyle and show weak ventralisation and 20% have a posterior micropyle and show strong ventralisation. vas⁷/vas³ and vas⁷/Df(2L)A267 females produce eggs with similar phenotypes. 46% of eggs laid by vas⁷/vas⁶ females have a micropyle at the posterior end of the egg. Occasionally, vas⁷/vas⁶ egg chambers containing two oocytes are seen. These are often adjacent to egg chambers that lack an oocyte. 100% of eggs laid by vas¹/vas⁷ females appear wild-type.

Absence of posterior pole plasm, polar granules and pole cells.

Females retain some residual vas gene activity as eggs are laid at a low frequency, some develop into embryos with abdominal deletions and no pole cells.