Episode 005: A Day in the Life of an Embryologist

Today we sat down with Paige Hardin-Obrien, embryologist with Kentucky Fertility Institute. Paige shared how she came to the career, the journey of the egg from retrieval to transfer, and how they keep our embryos safe and sound in the lab.

Paige details how they find our oocytes (eggs) under a microscope after the retrieval. Fun fact — THEY GLOW! She goes into the details of how they ensure no embryo is misplaced in the process (i.e the horror stories of embryos being switched in the lab). Paige confirms that in her lab, they only work on one patient at a time to avoid any sort of confusion.

We dive deep into the topic of the different types of embryo grading and what PGT testing means for a “graded embryo”. Paige also shares exactly what they are looking for (and sharing with the patient) when doing the day 3, 5, and 6/7 updates.

Sperm, sperm, and more sperm. We chat about how male factor infertility can have an affect on the type of fertilization method used by the embryologist. Most labs are now using ICSI compared to the tradition method of fertilization. ICSI stands for intracytoplasmic sperm injection, where the embryologist is manually choosing the best looking sperm and injecting it into the retrieved oocyte (egg). Compared to traditional fertilization where the sperm and egg are left on their own to fertilize. Paige discussed when and why ICSI would be a preferable method.

To learn more about embryology and what goes on “behind the scenes”, check out Paige on Instagram at @embryologist_paige.