It’s World Embryologist Day, so let’s talk about an embryologist’s role in the IVF lab

It takes a village to make an IVF cycle a success. While fertility doctors typically come to mind first when thinking of in vitro fertilization, an embryologist’s role is also very important. World Embryologist Day is just around the corner (July 25). As a result, our Austin fertility clinic team is here to share a little bit about what an embryologist does and why they’re so important when it comes to IVF success.

What is an embryologist’s role in an IVF cycle?

To start, you can think of an embryologist as your child’s first babysitter. That’s because they are responsible for safeguarding and handling each patient’s sperm, eggs and embryos while they are in the IVF lab.

To keep reproductive materials safe and help them grow and develop, embryologists perform many different tasks.

• Examine the eggs after the egg retrieval procedure.
• Prepare the retrieved eggs for fertilization or egg freezing.
• Use traditional fertilization or ICSI to fertilize the eggs for an IVF cycle.
• Look for signs of fertilization and assess the development of the resulting embryos.
• Perform embryo biopsies for preimplantation genetic testing (PGT).
• Work with the doctors at our Austin fertility clinic to select the best embryo to transfer.
• Provide assistance with treatment cycles using third party reproduction.
• Freeze and store eggs, sperm and embryos for patients to use later.

On top of all these duties, an embryologist’s role also involves communicating with patients. They provide important updates from the lab. Some examples include letting patients know how many good quality eggs came from their egg retrieval procedure and updating patients on the growth of their embryos.

We are proud to celebrate World Embryologist Day

An embryologist’s role involves so much, and their work makes a huge difference in the lives of our patients. As a result, our entire Austin fertility clinic team proudly salutes these specialists on World Embryologist Day and every day.

Contact us if you’d like to make an appointment at Texas Fertility Center. Every member of our team is here to help make your family-building dreams come true.