What It’s Like to Be an Embryologist
I have always been fascinated with IVF but never actually knew it was a possibility for me, as I assumed it was for doctors.
What It’s Like to Be an Embryologist
During my bachelor's degree I found out I could do an IVF internship and from then on, back in 2009, I knew that my future would be in IVF. While job prospects were low (approximately 50 Embryologists in my entire state), I knew it was something I had to pursue, and I undertook a master’s degree while looking for a job. After graduating, I got my dream job as an Embryologist and have not looked back. I can honestly say, if I found out tonight that I won the lotto, I wouldn’t be as excited as I was when I found out I got my Embryology job.
Being an Embryologist is a very hands-on job that enables me to directly help patients going through fertility struggles that are undergoing investigations and treatments.
In addition to the Embryology side of things I also work in the Sperm lab where we perform full analysis of sperm which is a vital step in fertility investigations. I highly recommend getting a semen analysis done early in your journey, and you can even get it done before you start trying. I have seen so many patients waste a lot of time because they do not know there is a sperm issue, and unfortunately it is more common than many people realize. In the sperm lab we perform sperm freezes and prepare sperm for procedures such as Intra-uterine Insemination, IVF and also ICSI. It is a busy environment with many patients all requiring different tests or preparations to be performed. Witnessing and verification is occurring continually because as you can appreciate, this is a job with ZERO room for error; so, this does get mentally draining and we rotate the jobs around so we can have mental breaks as needed.
The Embryology lab is where the magic happens - literally. I am very well aware that I am looking after someone’s most precious bundles of cells.
People have told me that they think of their embryos as their children and they feel a loss with each one that doesn’t make it, so it’s a great responsibility to make sure they are kept perfectly safe at every step of the way. This means we are constantly minimizing how often embryos are taken out, and monitoring whenever there is a check, freeze or thaw to do. We have strict timings that we need to do to minimize temperature and pH variations every single time we need to do something with the embryos. Just as with sperm lab, it is a very busy environment; egg collections and embryo transfer procedures go for many hours, or even most of the day some days. Around the actual procedures we have to fit in the embryo checks, thawing, freezing, media preparation and patient calls.
ICSI, or Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection, is an incredible procedure we perform for particular groups of patients, but as you can imagine, taking a microscopic egg and a microscopic sperm and manipulating them while looking through a microscope is no easy feat!
If the sperm are behaving and are easy to catch, then we generally will have a good time. If the sperm are really poor quality or hard to find, we sometimes end up in tears. Yes, I cried in an ICSI once. But that patient got pregnant from that ICSI, so let’s think of the tears as good luck!
I don’t feel attachment to embryos, but I do get very excited when we see really lovely ones.
Some patients only come through for a short period of time because they have their egg collection and 3-5 days later have a transfer and then we don’t see them again. But even though we may not know those patients as well as others, we still get so excited when we find out they are pregnant as we know how much has gone into their journey and how far they have come to get to this point. For the patients that have been coming through for much longer, I tend to get attached to themselves rather than their embryos and we feel a sense of sadness and disappointment each time we find out their cycle hasn’t worked. Obviously, I know that it’s nothing compared to what the patient is going through, but it may be a comfort to know that we are your team, we care about you, and we want to see you get your greatest wish come true.
It is definitely a very busy, and sometimes stressful job, but it is so incredibly important and rewarding that I can’t imagine doing anything else.
Unfortunately, this is a job where bad news is given regularly and that is always difficult and hasn’t been something that gets easier for me. We may need to tell someone that their eggs didn’t fertilize, they didn’t survive the thaw or that nothing has divided on for them to have a transfer; and to know I’m telling someone something that is breaking their heart is a very difficult thing to do.
Despite these challenging moments, there is so much that I enjoy about my job. I love patient contact and getting to transfer the embryos as this is one of the most vital parts of an IVF journey. I am so passionate when talking to patients about their embryos and answering questions; this is really rewarding for me as I know with lots of other medical environments it is so hard to speak to anyone or get any information at all, so I really put in the effort here to never rush patients and make sure they feel heard and understood. I am so grateful to be helping people achieve literally their greatest wish and it’s the best feeling in the world to find out they have had success. So, I take the good days with the hard days and be happy in the fact that I am doing everything I can to directly help someone achieve their dream of getting a happy, healthy baby.
-Kristen, Accredited Embryologist
Medical Disclaimer:
The information provided in this blog is intended for general informational purposes only and should not be considered as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your healthcare provider or qualified medical professional with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read in this blog.
