Embryologists are employed in various healthcare settings, including hospitals, embryology laboratories and infertility clinics. Embryologists are medical professionals involved in infertility treatment at various stages. The role of an experienced embryologist can be limited to assisting the physician as a consultant or it can involve handling actual clinical work.
Role of Embryologist
At the time of assessing various infertility clinics, it is critical that you spend time in assessing the experience and credentials of the Embryologist. Some of the most important functions rendered by Embryologists during infertility treatment include:
Retrieval of Eggs & Implantation of Embryos
Infertility treatments like IVF or ICSI-assisted IVF are commonly sought by people facing infertility issues like:
- Blocked fallopian tubes in female impairing natural fertilization
- Irregular hormone levels in female disturbing ovulation
- Male with weak sperm, incapable of fertilizing the egg without assistance
- Low sperm count making fertilization highly improbable
- Lack of motility/vitality in the sperm to fertilize the female egg
For such infertility issues, retrieval of the egg from the female is recommended which is then fertilized in a clinical setting, using a washed and prepared sperm. Please note that in some clinics, the embryologist might also be involved in the retrieval of sperm.
During ICSI-assisted IVF treatment, the embryologist is involved in inserting a selected sperm directly into the female egg. The embryo prepared by artificial fertilization is then implanted in the uterus of the female. Embryo preparation and its implantation into the female are perhaps the primary duties of an embryologist in an infertility clinic.
Decoding Reasons for Infertility Treatment Failure
Embryologists are involved in decoding issues that have caused repeated IVF treatment failures, due to embryo failures. Here, the role of an Embryologist involves a bit of research in which he uses his expertise to identify causes that have caused repeated miscarriages.
Assessing Embryo Health
Embryologists are responsible for keeping a close check on the status of the embryo. The overall health of the embryo invariably impacts the success of the IVF treatment in establishing a pregnancy. Such testing is particularly useful when embryo health is threatened by:
- Females of advanced maternal age
- Presence of severe male factor infertility
Handling Embryo Testing
Embryologists are involved in carrying out tests, such as PGD or Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis testing, on embryos before implanting them. Such testing is recommended if the couple has a personal or family history of genetic diseases. The Embryologist can identify embryos with genetic abnormalities, helping to create a pool of healthy embryos. PGD is recommended for couples with a history of:
- Single-gene disorders
- Sex-linked disorders
- Chromosomal disorders
Deciding Pattern of Infertility Treatment
An Embryologist is involved in deciding the number of IVF cycles recommended to the IVF female. During IVF treatment, initial failures are quite common. Hence, the infertility clinic needs to decide the number of times the embryo will be prepared in artificial conditions and re-implanted into the IVF female. Making such decisions involves the Embryologist, who can gauge the utility of proceeding with an IVF cycle.
For instance, if the Embryologist feels that the hormone levels of the female are not suited for establishing a successful pregnancy or if reasons for embryo failure are yet to be properly understood, he may decide against repeating an IVF cycle. This decision is based upon the Embryologist deciphering data collected from previous, failed IVF attempts and the patient’s medical history.
This also means that Embryologists impact the eventual cost of the infertility treatment. For example, if the IVF cycles are repeated unnecessarily, the IVF patient would be paying medical bills for treatment that is least likely to succeed.
Again, embryologists are involved in the storage of embryos through cryopreservation. Thus, costs incurred in preparing more embryos are reduced if embryos are not lost during cryopreservation.
