Meeting with the embryologist — what does he see under the microscope?
For patients in vitro, the procedure begins with their appointment with the doctor. But for the future baby, it starts from another place - in the laboratory. From the microscope. From the hands of the embryologist.
He doesn't meet you at registration. It doesn't give you a prescription. He doesn't give you an injection. But at a certain moment he holds in his hands the beginning of your life.
What does the embryologist actually see?
- Ovaries — round, transparent, vulnerable;
- Spermatozoa — fast, purposeful, of different shape;
- The process of fertilization — how one cell accepts another;
- Embryos — 2, 4, 8 cells, and then blastocysts;
- Development, symmetry, quality — every little detail that carries information.
What does a day in the lab look like?
- Quality control over the conditions in which your eggs and embryos are cultured — temperature, pH, CO₂, O2;
- Evaluation of oocytes after puncture;
- Special processing of spermatozoa;
- Fertilization (IVF or ICSI);
- Monitoring of embryonic development every day;
- Cryopreservation — freezing of sperm, eggs and embryos with special protocols;
- Preparing an embryo for transfer — the choice of “the one who will get a chance”.
What is not visible under the microscope?
- The stories behind each sample;
- Trembling of the hands before ICSI in a single ovum;
- The sigh, the smile and the happy eyes when the embryo develops perfectly;
- Sadness when it does not work out - despite all the efforts;
- The belief that tomorrow we will try again - even more carefully.
How many emotions are there in a cell?
For the embryologist, this is not just a cell. This is your possible baby.
And in that brief moment, when he looks through the microscope, he doesn't just think about morphology and cell nuclei. He's thinking about tomorrow. For the two-trait test. For the first cry.
The embryologist does not see your faces every day. But he knows your names. Remember the case numbers. And he never forgets when the transfer is.
Conclusion
The appointment with the embryologist is sometimes short. But under the microscope he sees something that even you haven't seen yet — the beginning of the greatest miracle.
Therefore, the next time you pass by the door with the inscription “Laboratory”, remember: there someone works not only with cells, but with dreams. And he does it with extreme care and precision.