EMBRYOLOGIST
What is an embryologist?
If you’ve ever heard the term “embryologist” or the term an embryologist it is like your child’s first nanny, who is responsible for maintaining and regulating the quality of a human embryo through fertilization outside of the body. They prepare through sperm and egg collection and fertilization. Following that, the embryologist oversees embryo development until it is prepared for egg retrieval.
In Thailand, we have the Association of Thai Embryologists (ATE).
The world’s first ‘test-tube baby’
A baby girl named Louise Joy Brown, the first test-tube baby was born on 25 July 1978, at Oldham, England’s Royal Oldham Hospital. Her biological mother was Lesley Brown. This is significant history that Prof. Sir Robert Edwards is regarded as the father of IVF (In Vitro Fertilization). Prof. Sir Robert Edwards and a key associate, Dr. Patrick Steptoe, accomplished this research experiment at the Bourn Hall Clinic, University of Cambridge.
The work of Professor Robert Edwards has been awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Edwards is a significant pioneer in assisted reproductive technology. Nevertheless, a resistance group called the “European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology” was formed at the same time.
Every year on July 25th, World Embryologist Day is celebrated to honor doctors, scientists, and people working in assisted reproductive technology around the world. The date was chosen to coincide with Louise Brown’s birthday, who was born on July 25, 1978, as the world’s first test-tube baby.
Sally Cheshire CBE, Chair of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), said: “Since then, Thousands of children have been born in this world using IVF technology, and people who are unable to conceive children naturally have children as they wish.
On July 25, 1978, Louis Brown, the world’s first test-tube baby, was born to the world and was viewed with a mixture of wonder and suspicion. Some individuals believe that IVF technology devalues humanity.
At the London Science Museum, an exhibition called “IVF: Six Million Babies Later” featured a display of Louis Brown’s personal belongings that were on loan from the museum.
Connie Orbach, a curator at the London Science Museum, stated that the exhibit included bracelets and name tags that the baby Louise and her mother Leslie wore after giving birth in the hospital. which was sensitive to emotions and filled with love.
According to the researchers, Louise Brown was born more than 40 years ago with the aid of IVF technology. By the end of this century, IVF technology will assist with the birth of about 400 million new babies.
(Compiled by Thaksina Khaikaew, VOA Thai, Washington)
44 years later, the world’s first test-tube baby, Louise Brown, got married and gave birth to a son naturally without the aid of In Vitro Fertilization technology. Sir Robert Edwards, a reproductive medicine specialist associated with this achievement, received the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine as a result of his work.
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Around 5.5 million children are now born through In Vitro Fertilization technology worldwide. This technology has evolved over time as a result of continuous research and development to help make the dreams of families all over the world a reality. In order to honor scientists, doctors, and those involved in assisted reproductive technology, July 25 is set aside each year as World Embryologist Day.
In Vitro Fertilization (IVF), which is not artificial insemination as many people believe, artificial insemination is a totally different process from IVF. Artificial insemination involves using scientific methods to directly inject “sperm” into a woman’s uterus or vagina. The fertilization outcome is still unknown; if it occurs, it will be a natural conception. Meanwhile, IVF is performed to allow external fertilization by collecting a woman’s “egg” and combining it with “sperm” in a test tube to create a suitable environment and atmosphere for the birth and life of the “embryo”.
The IVF procedure is summarized below:
Ovarian stimulation: to stimulate your ovaries with medication or hormone from the anterior pituitary to produce multiple eggs.
Egg retrieval: the eggs are typically collected through the vagina using a specially designed long needle.
Sperm preparation: selecting the qualified and healthiest sperm with a concentration of 100,000 per egg. Masturbation is the most effective method of sperm collection.
Blastocyst culture: refers to growing the embryos in the laboratory at a specific temperature of 37 degrees Celsius. Embryos are grown in test tubes for around 3-6 hours. The “sperm” will be added to wait for fertilization in about 18 hours, which may be successful the first time or must be added one more time if fertilization does not occur. Failure to fertilize may result from the presence of abnormal embryos; in this case, the abnormal embryos will be removed, leaving only the normal embryos. If fertilization occurs within two days each embryo is between 2 and 8 cells and varies in maturity. We will categorize the maturity of each embryo into grades. The best grade must be selected, and the second grade must be reserved as well.
Embryo transfer: the embryo transfer procedure can be performed in two ways: through the cervix or through the fallopian tubes.
Embryo freezing (Embryo Cryopreservation): the remaining embryos from the egg retrieval procedure are frozen at -196°C. “Embryos” do not grow further, but they can live for more than a year. When frozen embryos are later used, they normally are melted to normal temperature.
Furthermore, many people believe that “In Vitro Fertilization (IVF)” and “Gamete Intrafallopian Transfer (GIFT)” are the same thing. This, however, is incorrect. The “IVF” procedure is an assisted reproductive technology in which an egg and sperm are combined outside of the body in vitro and then placed back into the woman’s womb, whereas “GIFT” is a procedure in which sperm and egg are placed in fallopian tubes where the egg is fertilized.
The success of helping numerous infertile couples probably requires plenty of time, patience, and high cost. At the present time, many infertility clinics in general hospitals receive a clinic license for assisted reproductive technology. As Deep & Harmonicare IVF Center Global Infertility Institute, with JCI standards and internationally advanced tools with a higher success rate, we are ready to provide service and advice; please do not hesitate to contact us.
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I am Embryologist
เว็บไซต์ของสมาคมนักวิทยาศาสตร์เพาะเลี้ยงตัวอ่อนไทย (Association of Thai Embryologists; ATE)
www.scimath.org/lesson-biology
Deep & Harmonicare IVF Center is one of the few assisted reproductive institutions with Joint Commission International (JCI) accreditation. We have a world-class advanced laboratory, which is praised as the “future central laboratory” by the healthcare ministry. We provide expert care using leading technologies tailored to each patient’s needs. We offer a wide range of infertility treatments performed under international safety standards. Please do not hesitate to contact us.
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