As couples navigate through their fertility journey, you will meet with your physician and begin the process for IVF that includes preparation, stimulation, and monitoring.
In the background is the functioning of the IVF laboratory, where what is actually occurring can be a bit of a mystery. It is after all an almost literal black box! A windowless lab that is under strict lock and key and is often a dark, warm humid atmosphere, just like a human fallopian tube which is the site of fertilization inside the body.
The scientist who combines the sperm and egg and helps the resulting embryos to grow in a controlled environment is called an embryologist. Access to the laboratory or embryologists in most clinics is limited.
An embryologist is a fertility specialist that helps to create embryos to either be used in IVF right away or to be frozen for later use. Embryologists aren’t MDs, but we are highly trained medical professionals, usually holding a Masters’s degree or a Ph.D. due to the specialized nature of our work. Here are ten things we want you to know about IVF!