Why an IVF clinic should have a full-time embryologist?

There are several centers in Tirana that offer In Vitro Fertilization, however, not all have a full-time embryologist, that is, present every day of the month. This is explained by the fact that Albania does not train embryologists and consequently, those aspiring to be embryologists must study abroad. For this reason, the majority of embryologists working in Tirana are foreigners. Being foreigners, most of them come to Tirana only for 3-4 days a month.

But where does the importance of the embryologist lie?

The most critical point of an In Vitro Fertilization clinic is the laboratory – and the one who runs the lab is the embryologist. He is the silent hero of In Vitro Fertilization – the person who fertilizes the eggs and "grows" your embryos in the laboratory and then gives them to your gynecologist to transfer to the uterus. However, since all his work takes place within four walls, most patients are not aware of the role he might have in the success of the In Vitro Fertilization process.

Embryologists in transit

Most clinics that perform In Vitro Fertilization rely on part-time embryologists: i.e., embryologists who are present in Tirana only for 3-4 days a month. These are embryologists who are always moving from one clinic to another (Albania / Greece / Italy etc.), working 3-4 days at each of these clinics. In these 3-4 days they cover at each of the clinics, they perform fertilizations for all the patients that the clinic has gathered for a specific period.

Let's be clear: these are very good embryologists professionally as they fertilize hundreds of eggs within a small time frame. However, what an In Vitro Fertilization clinic needs more is such a skilled embryologist but present in the clinic (or hospital) every day and not just 3-4 days a month!

Below are the reasons why:

• A full-time embryologist will take care of the laboratory every day and will be in communication with the gynecologist at any moment the couple requires.
• A full-time embryologist has more time available to perform all necessary procedures: from simple fertilizations to blastocyst transfer and PGD.
• Clinics that work with part-time embryologists will have limited time to fulfill all procedures because they have obligations in other clinics. Imagine what chaos it would be if 15-20 patients were grouped for egg collection (OPU – Oocyte Pick Up) in just 2-3 days. This would be very tiring and stressful for patients but also for doctors. If from 10 eggs are given by each of the patients, if 10 egg retrieval procedures are to be performed within a day, the part-time embryologist would have to deal with fertilizing 100 eggs. Believe me: it would start at noon and end at midnight… meanwhile, the eggs would wait in the laboratory until their turn… Would anyone want their eggs to be fertilized after 12 hours of waiting in the laboratory? Understandably, fatigue takes its toll... The eggs fertilized first and those at the end differ… The eye gets tired from looking through a microscope for 10-12 hours… And the possibility of error consequently increases…
• But what is more important is that working with part-time embryologists forces the clinic (hospital) to group patients and manipulate their cycles with contraceptives so that the procedure can be performed when the embryologist arrives. This sometimes can have negative effects on the quality of the eggs (especially in those with reduced ovarian reserve or those with polycystic ovaries).
• It would be best to start stimulation by respecting the natural menstrual cycle of the woman, that is, without the need to manipulate with oral contraceptives. This is only possible by having a full-time embryologist present every day.
• Communication with the patient is deficient in cases with part-time embryologists. Due to the limited time of the embryologist, the patient is not served with the proper information about the number and quality of the eggs or embryos.

That's why before undergoing In Vitro Fertilization you must definitely ask about the presence of the embryologist and not agree to adjust your cycle according to the embryologist's ticket schedule…