Embryology Laboratory

Royan's embryology laboratory, with the presence of an experienced staff, specialists and also up-to-date laboratory equipment is the best infertility center in IRAN.

The laboratory is the place where all eggs, sperm, and embryos will be retrieved, fertilized, cultured, analyzed, monitored, frozen, thawed, and cared for by a team of experts. Egg retrievals are done in private rooms located next to the laboratory by your physician.

Embryology is the branch of biology that studies the formation, early growth and development of embryos. During the monitoring of an IVF cycle, all bloodwork and ultrasounds occurs in-house to provide results to your physician within a few hours. This results in more personalized care.

The eggs that are harvested are placed into dishes where they will be counted and evaluated. Approximately six hours after egg retrieval, fertilization is accomplished by placing a small concentration of sperm onto each egg, or by intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).

Basic procedures in the embryology laboratory:

After filing the case and examining the problems of men and women and the initial treatment measures and the implementation of ovulation stimulation protocols, the date of the woman's ovulation procedure and her treatment plan will be determined. On the day of ovulation, the woman have to go to the operating room for egg extraction, and at the same time, her husband delivers for his sperm sample collection.

Puncture operation (egg production):

Follicles with appropriate size are taken from the ovary and delivered to the egg preparation department in embryology.

Isolation follicles:

Colleagues in the embryology department find and separate all the suitable follicles from the follicular fluid and keep them in a suitable environment, and then the process will be continued by another team.

Preparation of mature eggs for fertilization (egg preparation for fertilization):

The cells surrounding the separated follicles will remove from around the egg with enzymatic and mechanical instructions and will place in special containers for intracytoplasmic injection.

Examination of semen and testicular tissue:

The semen sample is collected by a man masturbating and ejaculating into a special container or by using a special condom to collect semen during intercourse. The sample is then sent to a lab to look for abnormalities.

Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) or microinjection:

Like other fertility treatments, microinjection or ICSI increases the chance of having children in infertile couples using sex cells with the highest qualities. Such treatment aims to identify and select high-quality eggs and sperm for in vitro fertilization (IVF). Microinjection method is used when the amount of sperm is not suitable for fertilization. In this method, egg fertilization and fertilization is done in the best possible way, because the embryologist has the opportunity to choose the most suitable sperm for injecting sperm into the egg, in order to increase the percentage of successful fertilization and then the formation of a higher quality embryo.

Immature eggs are kept in specialized culture environments and given enough time to mature. This method is called in vitro maturation (IVM) and it provides an opportunity for immature eggs to be fertilized even if mature.

Infertility treatment with IVF:

 IVF (In vitro fertilization) is one of the new methods for couples who cannot have children naturally. In vitro fertilization (IVF) is one of several techniques available to help people with fertility problems have a baby. During IVF, an egg is removed from the woman's ovaries and fertilized with sperm in a laboratory. The fertilized egg, called an embryo, is then returned to the woman's womb to grow and develop.

Pregnancy through IUI or intrauterine insemination:

Intrauterine insemination (IUI) is a fertility treatment that involves directly inserting sperm into a woman.

You may be offered IUI if:

• You're unable to have vaginal sex – for example, because of a physical disability or psychosexual problem
• You have a condition that means you need specific help to conceive. For example, if 1 of you has HIV and it's not safe to have unprotected sex

Storage of injected eggs in the laboratory:

The injected eggs are kept in a suitable culture medium in specialized incubators. Incubators act like a womb and the embryo will be able to grow and develop in it until the day of transfer.

Examination of the process of conception:

The day after insemination, one-day-old embryos (egg cells) are examined and recorded in the patient's medical record.

Cultivation of embryos:

Embryos are checked on the second and third day and their growth rate and quality are evaluated. All this information is recorded in the file and explained to the patient. In some cases, for plans with 5-day embryo transfer, the embryos are cultured until the fifth day, and during this period, their growth rate and quality are still checked. Even their cultivation environments are replaced with fresher environments.

Embryo transfer:

An embryo transfer is the last part of the in vitro fertilization (IVF) process. During IVF, fertility medications are used to stimulate the ovaries into releasing healthy eggs. These eggs are then removed from a woman’s ovaries and fertilized in a lab. Once the fertilized eggs have multiplied, the embryos are transferred to the woman’s uterus.

For a pregnancy to begin, the embryo must then attach itself to the wall of her womb or uterus.

Embryo freezing or embryo bank:

 Embryo banking is a type of fertility preservation. It may be useful for women with cancer who want to have children after having radiation therapy, chemotherapy, or certain types of surgery, which can cause infertility. Also called embryo cryopreservation and embryo freezing.

Egg freezing:

Egg freezing is a method of storing a woman’s unfertilized eggs to allow her to try to conceive at a later date, when natural conception would be unlikely. It may be seen as a way of preserving the possibility of fertility for women who are not in a position to become pregnant straight away, or whose fertility is at risk for medical reasons such as cancer treatment.

Frozen eggs may be stored for many years without significant deterioration. When the woman is ready to use her eggs, they are warmed, and then fertilized with sperm. The aim is for the fertilized egg to develop into an embryo, which can then be transferred to the woman’s uterus giving a chance of pregnancy.

Sperm freezing:

Men are able to freeze their sperm for use in their own future treatment or to donate to someone else's treatment. Donated sperm usually has to be quarantined for three or six months and screened for infections before it can be used by a recipient.

Freezing testicular tissue:

A process being developed to freeze testicular tissue from boys who have not gone through puberty, to save for future infertility treatment. Tissue that contains cells that make sperm is removed from the testicles through a small incision (cut). It is then frozen and stored.

Diagnosis of genetic abnormalities and gender determination with genetic tests:

Before pregnancy is possible to diagnose of the genetic diseases and the health of the fetus. As well as in the form of PGD, determine the sex of the fetus. These tests are a way to screen for chromosomal abnormalities and help transfer a chromosomally healthy and normal fetus to the mother's womb. It is also possible to determine the gender before implantation on the third or fifth day of the embryo's development, and this allows an embryo with the desired gender of the parents to be transferred to the uterus. The success of the assigned gender in these tests is 100%.

Embryology laboratory equipment:

All the equipment and personnel in the embryology laboratory are working according to the world's standards and using the latest scientific methods.