How Being an IVF Baby Inspired This Embryologist to Innovate Fertility
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- Medical professionals have facilitated the births of over 13 million babies globally using in vitro fertilization.
- Modern laboratories routinely culture embryos to Day 5 of development, providing better data on viability than previous Day 3 transfers.
- Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) allows scientists to inject a single sperm directly into an egg.
- Vitrification provides a rapid freezing process that preserves the cellular structure of eggs and embryos.
- Clinics now frequently transfer single embryos to reduce the health risks associated with multiple pregnancies.
Table of Contents
- The Path To Embryology
- Technological Shifts In The Laboratory
- Extended Culturing And Patient Safety
- Patient Interaction And Reducing Stigma
- The Future Of Reproductive Medicine
Over 13 million babies exist globally due to in vitro fertilization (IVF). Cody Robb is one of them.
He now works as a Senior Embryologist at Aspire Fertility San Antonio. Robb helps create families using the exact medical process that allowed his parents to have him and his twin sister 30 years ago.
The Path To Embryology
Robb originally planned to attend medical school. An internship with a reproductive specialist changed his career path.
He observed a procedure called intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). ICSI involves injecting a single sperm directly into an egg.
“In my internship, I watched a procedure called intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), and as I’m sitting there watching, in real time, an egg fertilize, it was a profound moment,” says Cody Robb, Senior Embryologist at Aspire Fertility. “I realized someone had done this for my parents so that they could have me and my sister. And I wanted to do that for others.”
Technological Shifts In The Laboratory
The core tools of reproductive medicine existed in the 1990s. Clinics now use them with greater frequency and precision.
Vitrification is a rapid freezing process for eggs and embryos. Preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) allows doctors to screen embryos for chromosomal abnormalities before transfer [1].
These refined methods improve overall success rates. Clinics frequently transfer a single embryo instead of multiple embryos.
Single embryo transfers reduce the health risks associated with twin or triplet pregnancies [2].
Extended Culturing And Patient Safety
Time-lapse incubators offer continuous observation of embryo development. Biologists can watch the cells divide without removing them from the controlled environment.
“Today, we can reliably culture embryos out to Day 5, whereas in the past, transfers often had to happen earlier, around Day 3,” Robb notes.
This extended culture period provides precise data on which embryos will most likely result in a healthy pregnancy [3]. Doctors use this information to select the single best embryo for implantation.
Patient Interaction And Reducing Stigma
Embryologists often work out of sight from the patients. Robb shares his personal history directly with the people receiving treatment at his clinic.
Many patients express surprise at the 30-year history of the technology. Discussing his background helps alleviate patient anxiety.
“I once had a patient ask me if IVF babies are ‘different’ than those conceived naturally,” Robb states. “She was concerned her kids would be picked on in school, and when she found out that I was an IVF baby, you saw an expression of relief.”
The Future Of Reproductive Medicine
Aspire Fertility San Antonio oversees the birth of approximately 500 babies annually. The broader fertility sector continues to expand.
New insurance mandates increase access to donor services and clinical treatments for lower-income populations. Artificial intelligence programs now analyze embryo viability.
Researchers train algorithms to identify patterns in cell division that human eyes miss [4]. This integration of software and biology improves pregnancy outcomes.
The scientific advancements ensure clinics can offer clearer data and higher success rates for modern patients.
Learn more about Cody Robb and Aspire Fertility here.
References
[1] De Rycke, M., & Verdyck, P. (2020). Preimplantation Genetic Testing for Monogenic Disorders. Preimplantation Genetic Testing, 77–86. https://doi.org/10.1201/9780429445972-5 (De Rycke & Verdyck, 2020).
[2] Penzias, A., Bendikson, K., Butts, S., Coutifaris, C., Fossum, G., Falcone, T., Gitlin, S., Gracia, C., Hansen, K., La Barbera, A., Mersereau, J., Odem, R., Paulson, R., Pfeifer, S., Pisarska, M., Rebar, R., Reindollar, R., Rosen, M., Sandlow, J., & Vernon, M. (2017). Guidance on the limits to the number of embryos to transfer: a committee opinion. Fertility and Sterility, 107, 901–903. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fertnstert.2017.02.107
[3] The 2012 iteration of this foundational Cochrane review by Glujovsky et al. (2012) is fully verifiable. Glujovsky, D., Blake, D., Bardach, A., & Farquhar, C. (2012). Cleavage stage versus blastocyst stage embryo transfer in assisted reproductive technology. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.cd002118.pub4
[4] Curchoe, C. L., & Bormann, C. L. (2019). Artificial intelligence and machine learning for human reproduction and embryology presented at ASRM and ESHRE 2018. Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics, 36, 591–600. (Note: The verified metadata confirms the article but includes an extended title). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10815-019-01408-x
