World Embryologist Day: Date, History, Significance, IVF & Quotes

World Embryologist Day is observed on 25 July. The day celebrates the scientists in reproductive medicine. Let us read more about the day.

World Embryologist Day: 25 July

On this day world’s first IVF baby was born. Embryologists play an important role in an IVF clinic. They help in making babies happen or we can say that creating life in their hands. Sometimes they are also referred to as ‘caretakers’ of patients’ sperm, eggs, or embryos because they are the nurturers of this new start of life.

Basically embryologists are those who study sperm, eggs, and embryos. They will be able to determine which sperm, eggs, and embryos are the healthiest and can be selected for IVF treatment.

History:

Louise Joy Brown on 25 July became the first baby to be born due to In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) method in 1978 and so every year on 25 July World Embryologist Day is observed.

Significance:

Infertility is a common condition in both men and women. It is estimated that one in six people of reproductive age experience infertility. An embryologist is a medical professional who assesses an individual’s fertility level and studies eggs, sperm and embryos. They play a vital role in the IVF process by keeping the reproductive material safe and ensuring the healthy growth and development of the embryo. An embryologist performs many functions such as

1. Egg retrieval and processing
2. Insemination
3. Looking for signs of fertilisation
4. Monitoring the development of the embryo
5. Embryo transfer, preservation, genetic testing and maintaining lab conditions.

An embryologist’s work makes a massive difference in the lives of many childless couples; hence, their contribution is recognised and honoured by the celebration of World Embryologists Day. This day celebrates the milestones achieved in the field of embryology.

Responsibilities Of An Embryologist:

• IVF Procedures: Collect eggs, mix them with sperm in the lab, and observe embryo development.
• Embryo Culture: Maintain ideal incubator conditions to promote embryo development.
• Embryo Evaluation and Selection: Determine which embryos are optimal for transfer or cryopreservation by assessing their quality and working with experts.
• Cryopreservation: Maintain accurate handling and documentation while freezing and storing extra embryos.
• Embryo Transfer: Transfer carefully chosen embryos into the uterus in a safe manner to ensure successful implantation.
• Micromanipulation Procedures: To increase the likelihood of conception and lower the danger of genetic disorders, use sophisticated procedures.
• Lab Maintenance & Quality Control: Follow strict processes and maintain high standards for lab hygiene and quality control.
• Research & Patient Support: Conduct studies to raise the success rates and offer patients psychological and educational assistance during their fertility sessions.

What is IVF?

According to the Mayo Clinic, in vitro fertilisation (IVF) is a complex series of procedures used to help with fertility or prevent genetic problems and assist with the conception of a child. During IVF, mature eggs are collected (retrieved) from ovaries and fertilised by sperm in a lab. Then the fertilised egg (embryo) or eggs (embryos) are transferred to the uterus. One full cycle of IVF takes about three weeks. Sometimes these steps are split into different parts and the process can take longer.

Infertility: Stats

• Out of every three infertile women, one has a problem with her reproductive system.
• Out of three infertile men, one has a problem with their reproductive system
• One out of every three couples faces a problem that affects both partners.

Infertility, How Can it Affect you?

• One in five women between the ages of 15 and 44 has difficulty conceiving.
• Women who have pregnancy complications may suffer a miscarriage before the twentieth week of pregnancy or give birth to a still-born after the twentieth week.

Infertility Types

• Primary– Explains infertility in a woman who has never been pregnant and cannot get pregnant even after trying to get pregnant for one year.
• Secondary– Refers to the case of a woman who cannot get pregnant after having one successful pregnancy.

What factors contribute to infertility?

These factors raise the risk of infertility in both sexes:

• High sugar levels (Diabetes)
• Age (Women over 35 and Men over 40).
• People who had cancer treatments like radiation therapy.
• Sexually transmitted infections (STDs).
• Excessive alcohol consumption.
• Toxins in the environment, like lead and pesticides.
• Over-exercising.
• Smoking.
• Stress.
• Abuse of substances.
• Weight issues (obesity or underweight).
• Anorexia nervosa and bulimia are examples of eating disorders.

Natural infertility causes include:

Age

• The older a person gets, the less likely it is to become pregnant through IVF because the quality of eggs and sperm declines with age. Couples under the age of 35 have a 40% chance of success. There is only a 5% to 10% chance of conception through IVF in women between the ages of 42 and 50.

Past Pregnancy

• A woman’s previous conception history is essential in determining IVF success. A woman who has previously had a successful pregnancy with or without IVF has a higher chance of conception.

Lifestyle practices

• One of the primary causes of infertility in today’s couples is their way of life. To conceive successfully, couples planning a family or those undergoing IVF treatment must make specific lifestyle changes. Quitting smoking and drinking, getting enough sleep, reducing stress, and avoiding junk food are all examples.

As you get older, your chances of becoming infertile rise. Furthermore, environmental pollutants and toxins can be directly toxic to gametes (eggs and sperm), resulting in decreased numbers and poor quality, ultimately leading to infertility.

Why is it critical to address infertility?

• Infertility management and fertility care services may be required for a wide range of people, which includes heterosexual couples, same-sex partners, older people, individuals who are not in sexual relationships, and those with certain medical conditions, like HIV couples and cancer survivors. Inequities and disparities in access to reproductive health services disproportionately affect the poor, unmarried, uneducated, unemployed, and marginalized populations.
• Infertility treatment can also help to reduce gender inequality. Although both men and women can be infertile, women in a relationship with a man are frequently perceived to be infertile, whether they are or are not. Infertility has significant negative social consequences in the lives of infertile couples, particularly women, who frequently face violence, divorce, social stigma, emotional stress, depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem.

World Embryologist Day: Quotes

• “Embryology will often reveal to us the structure, in some degree obscured, of the prototype of each great class.” – Charles Darwin
• “The Law of Divine Compensation posits that this is a self-organizing and self-correcting universe: the embryo becomes a baby, the bud becomes a blossom, the acorn becomes an oak tree. Clearly, there is some invisible force that is moving every aspect of reality to its next best expression.”- Marianne Williamson
• “Embryology reveals surprising similarities between early embryos of seemingly quite different animals. And it also shows that some structures that may look very different later on have fundamental similarities in the way they form. “- Alice Roberts
• “The embryological record is almost always abbreviated in accordance with the tendency of nature (to be explained on the principle of survival of the fittest) to attain her needs by the easiest means.” – Francis Maitland Balfour
• “cell is not a name for a thing but for a type of organization”. – Joseph Woodger
• “If a single cell, under appropriate conditions, becomes a man in the space of a few years, there can surely be no difficulty in understanding how, under appropriate conditions, a cell may, in the course of untold millions of years, give origin to the human race.” – Herbert Spencer
• “Unborn babies – that is, fetuses, embryos, and even ‘zygotes’ – are innocent human beings.”- Michael J. Knowles
• “From the beginning, each human embryo has its own unique genetic identity. “- Robert Casey
• “We have a lot to gain through furthering stem cell research, but medical breakthroughs should be fundamentally about saving, not destroying, human life. Therefore, I support stem cell research that does not destroy the embryo.”- Michael Steele
• “Embryology furnishes, also, the best measure of true affinities existing between animals.” – Louis Agassiz
• “Now, an embryo may seem like some scientific or laboratory term, but, in fact, the embryo contains the unique information that defines a person.” – Todd Akin
• “What we call little things are merely the causes of great things.” – Henri Frederic Amiel
• “Is life worth living? This is a question for an embryo not for a man.” – Samuel Butler
• “When I saw the embryo, I suddenly realized there was such a small difference between it and my daughters. I thought we can’t keep destroying embryos for our research. There must be another way.” – Shinya Yamanaka
• “And you begin again and sometimes you lose, sometimes you win, but you begin again. Even though your heart is breaking, in time the sun will shine and you will begin again.” – Barry Manilow