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

Anyone that has undergone an IVF cycle knows that it is a very involved process. All the steps must come together in perfect alignment for our patients to achieve their goal: a viable pregnancy. In our Tulsa fertility clinic, we want to recognize the importance of the embryologist’s role in our assisted reproductive technology services.

What is an embryologist?

While our patients regularly interact with our office staff, nursing team and fertility specialists, they almost never see the work of our dedicated embryologists. These highly skilled scientists usually have a background in biological or health sciences, and many have obtained a master’s degree or PhD in embryology or a related field.

Without the contributions of the embryologist’s role, our Tulsa fertility clinic couldn’t successfully provide patients with leading-edge therapies in reproductive medicine, including intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), egg freezing and pre-implantation genetic screening.

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

Often, embryologists are jokingly referred to as a child’s first babysitter because they create the embryos that our Tulsa fertility clinic doctors will transfer to the hopeful mother’s uterus in the hopes of producing a healthy pregnancy. We want our patients to understand the importance of the embryologist’s role in our fertility treatment protocol. As a valued part of our team, the embryologist is responsible for many aspects of the IVF cycle.

• Examining retrieved eggs to evaluate the condition and maturity levels
• Preparing healthy eggs for fertilization or egg freezing
• Fertilizing the eggs via standard processes or using ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection)
• Monitoring the embryo development progress after fertilization
• Updating patients on embryo development
• Grading embryos based on their progress to assess quality
• Conducting embryo biopsies for pre-implantation genetic testing
• Assisting our doctors in selecting the best embryos for transfer
• Preparing eggs, sperm and embryos for cryopreservation
• Vitrifying eggs or embryos and storing them in cryopreservation tanks for later use

At Tulsa Fertility Center, we deliver exemplary fertility treatment to our patients, from our nurses to our physicians to the critical embryologist’s role. Our entire team, including our embryologists, work tirelessly to ensure that hopeful parents achieve their family-building goals. Contact our office for more information on IVF treatment or to schedule an appointment.