World Embryologist Day on July 25: History and why it is celebrated

Determining the fertility levels of individuals

Egg collection and processing

Insemination

Checking for fertilisation

Monitoring embryo development

Selecting the embryos for transfer

Preservation of embryos, eggs and sperm

Genetic testing

Maintaining the laboratory’s optimum conditions

Managing sperm and egg banks

Over the years, IVF has become safer due to the arrival of newer equipment and technology. Following the Louise Joy Brown breakthrough in 1978, embryologist Adam Burnley along with pioneer of IVF, Patrick Steptoe and Bob Edwards worked together for the first ‘test tube’ baby at the clinic and achieved great success. On every World Embryologist Day, the medical fraternity remembers these three researchers.

In this procedure, eggs are taken out of a woman’s body and fertilised with the sperm. Then the embryo is transferred into the uterus. Thereafter, the cycle of pregnancy starts. In India, the first IVF baby was born in 1998 in Agra. He was named Utsav.

While IVF technology has resulted in the birth of millions of babies, there are still certain myths floating around the procedure. The most prevalent being -- IVF babies are born with birth defects and malformations. This is completely untrue and the chances of IVF babies getting any birth defect are the same as those babies born conventionally.

Another common myth is that IVF babies are always caesarean. According to doctors, IVF pregnancies are just like naturally conceived ones and the possibility of vaginal delivery isn’t reduced due to the procedure.

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