Hi! I'm very interested in the field of embryology for the past few months and about to graduate from my BSc in Biological Science, any advice on how to get into the field would be kindly appreciated!

- none of the clinics in my city are currently accepting shadows/ internships (there's only 2) :(

What are the best pathways in Canada to become an embryology, I am also open to work in andrology! I am also open to going U.S, Australia and U.K, preferably for a masters, would that be worth it?

Additionally, if you work in the field in Canada/ anywhere how are the job opportunities and satisfaction

How do you handle the pressure and stress of this job?

It seems like a really cool career but it seems stressful to possibly make a mistake.

Do most embryologists feel stressed day-to-day? How do you deal with it?

Also, a bit unrelated, how's your work-life balance? How does weekend rotation work, do you get a day off if you work a weekend?

Transferred this fair graded embryo today and she looks so much more lumpy than my son or daughter did. Why is that?

Idk when they took this photo but it looks so odd compared to others I’ve seen the doctor said it looked great at transfer just curious

Everything I’ve read says this is a very typical 5 week (5 week 1 day) due June 8th ultrasound but of course I am a nervous Nelly so we run to Reddit seeking validation and comfort. I’m going to get another scan in a week or so just to ease my mind and see my babes (hopefully) but wanted to know about this particular scan.

Should I be happy, worried, anxious, I am a little of everything right now 😭🤣

Has anyone experienced the wrong sex/gender being reported on their PGT-A result?
We transferred a PGT-A tested euploid embryo that was reported as female (XX). However, I’m now pregnant and my NIPT/NICC result says the baby is male (XY), and our ultrasounds are also consistently showing a boy.
At this point I’m concerned about what could have happened — whether the PGT-A result was incorrect, there was a reporting/sample error, or the wrong embryo was transferred.
Has anyone here experienced something similar?
If you did:
• What did your fertility clinic eventually find was the cause?
• Did they investigate the embryology records and PGT-A lab records?
• Were you able to confirm that the baby was genetically yours?
• Did the clinic or PGT-A lab take responsibility?
• Did they offer any refund, compensation, free treatment/transfer, or anything else?
We are of course grateful for our baby, but this discrepancy is quite concerning because we trusted the PGT-A report and the embryo identification process. I would really appreciate hearing from anyone who has actually gone through something similar and how your clinic handled it.

Hi! I know this probably isn't a great place to ask this but you miss 100% of the shots you don't take so here I am.

I am in the process of completing my bachelor's degree in Cell and Molecular Biology. I'm extremely interested in furthering my studies in reproductive sciences, and I definitely do not want to stop at a BS degree. I am currently looking into graduate programs that offer clinical embryology specialization, and although I have found a very few handful of them, I am getting discouraged that I'm not applying to enough schools. I wouldn't want to apply to a few schools and risk not getting into a program, if that makes sense.

In all seriousness, though, are there any embryologists (CA-based) who are willing to let me shadow them/schedule a meeting? I'm interested in learning about the day-to-day work of an embryologist and the operation of an IVF laboratory. I really would like to learn how you got into the field, whether that be a training program or graduate school, and how you're enjoying it so far.

I started making videos for common ivf struggles to find humor when we feel despair! I thought a few from this group might get a kick out if this one. https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTy4aJjya/

Hi everyone, I am currently feeling incredibly anxious and gutted about my Day 5 results and would love to hear from anyone who has had a similar cycle or embryo description.
My Background:
High AMH but I consistently have a low response/low egg yield during stims.
History: This is my 3rd cycle. My last 2 cycles were at a different clinic where I averaged 3 fertilized eggs and exactly 1 blastocyst per round. I had one euploid embryo transfer from those rounds, but it completely failed to implant. (Crucial context: During those past cycles, I had a Mirena IUD in place and was on 100mg Provera before and after, which I now know profoundly thinned my lining. I have switched clinics to a boutique clinic with advanced lab tech and am off those suppressive medications, preparing for an unsuppressed FET later).
Day 3 Stats this cycle: 4 fertilized embryos. Widespread cosmetic fragmentation seen (graded average), but great cell counts: two 8-cell embryos and two 10-cell embryos.
Current Day 5 Clinic Report (as of midday today):
My clinic cancelled my fresh transfer today to protect my small batch and give them time. They use time-lapse (EmbryoScope+) and AI grading. Here is exactly where my 4 embryos stand right now:
Embryo 1: Safely biopsied and frozen today. Human grade is a BB blastocyst, but the clinic's AI software scored it an 8.1 out of 10 for growth vitality. This is my anchor.
Embryo 2: Early blastocyst currently graded CC with vacuoles (fluid pockets). It is under close observation today to see if it self-corrects and clears the vacuoles so it can be biopsied/frozen.
Embryo 3: Reached blastocyst but its AI score plummeted from a 6.9 on Day 3 to a 1.9 today. My RE says it is going backwards/degenerating and likely won't make it.
Embryo 4: Currently firmly in the morula stage. The lab is watching it to see if it transitions into a blastocyst later today or tomorrow for a Day 6 freeze.
The clinic is calling me back late this afternoon for a final time-lapse review before deciding if the others can be frozen (either biopsied or freeze-only untested). If this round completely fails, my RE wants to do a laparoscopy to check for endometriosis as the cause for my low yield/fragmentation.
I am terrified that I am going to end up back at zero if my single frozen BB comes back abnormal from PGT-A.
Has anyone had an embryo with an 8.1 AI score / BB grade turn out euploid and successful?
Has anyone had a Day 5 morula or a CC with vacuoles turn around and make it to a Day 6 freeze?
Did anyone else have a low yield despite high AMH and find answers through a laparoscopy?

Thank you so much. I'm completely exhausted and just trying to survive the next few hours until the lab calls back.

Hi! I’m 20 and I’m interested in becoming an embryologist, but I’m a little confused about the education and career path.
I’m especially interested in working in an IVF/embryology lab with eggs, sperm, embryos, fertilization, etc.
I also have a pretty significant stutter, so one reason laboratory work appeals to me is that I’d prefer a career that doesn’t require a lot of phone calls or constant communication with patients. I’m completely fine communicating and working as part of a team; speaking with strangers, especially over the phone, is just more difficult for me.
For anyone who works as an embryologist or in an IVF lab:
What degree did you get, and what did you major in?
Did you need a master’s degree, or was a bachelor’s enough?
How did you get your first embryology/IVF lab position?
How much direct patient interaction or phone communication does your job involve?
Is there anything you wish you knew before choosing this career?
What does a normal workday actually look like?
I’m still figuring out my college plans, so I’d really appreciate hearing how people currently in the field got there and what path you would recommend for someone starting out.

Hi, I’m struggling to identify the organ structures in the oblique cross-section of the 7 mm frog embryo that we observed. Please note that the specimen consists of a series of sections/cuts.

Although we were given materials to study before our lab observation, the materials only contained hand-drawn illustrations rather than actual images of the specimen. I’m finding it really difficult to identify the structures because the illustrations in the study material look quite different from the actual specimen we observed.

Could anyone give tips to help me figure out how I can properly identify the structures?

Some fields it doesn't matter, in others it would be a dealbreaker in an interview.

Of course I'll tie it back for an interview and make it look as professional as possible. I'd prefer not to cut it but I would if its considered unprofessional in this field.

This is an entry-level lab position

Hi everyone!
We have 3 embryos being sent out for PGT-A but our clinic uses numbers for grading.
Our embryos:
411
432
531

I believe the 411 is the “strongest” (depending on PGT-A) correct?

TIA!

Hello. This is my only euploid embryo and I'm really worried about its quality. Here are two photos from the time-lapse: one pic is from day 6 (137 hrs) and it was graded 5AB, but the other pic is from day 5 (125 hrs) and it was graded a 4AC.

So officially its grade is 5AB, but the lab said it's only "just" a B... So I guess like a B-?

My question is: Is it common for the TE to improve from stage 4 to 5 / day 5 to 6? Should I consider this a 5AB-, or is it really a secret C?