In Embryologist.co.in, there is a phrase which we use very frequently and which seems to be simple but very special at the same time, and it is our little guests. That is the affection of embryologists for embryos in the IVF lab. In the eyes of the world, they can be nothing but groups of separating cells. To us, however, they are little house guests, valuable little lives, on a brief holiday with us, under the tender care of their devotion, till the moment when they must go home.
The Emotional Underpinning in a Scientific Process
IVF centers can appear to be very technical: microscopes, incubators, pipettes, and concrete equipment. But more than the equipment, there is the air of delicacy. People are aware that the best hope for someone is in every dish of those incubators.
When we refer to little guests, we simply mean that we are recognizing them to be not merely biological samples, but beginnings of families. They are staying a long time, they are growing, maturing, and they are waiting for the proper time to be united with their parents.
As any good host, we pay attention to every detail, the correct temperature, the proper combination of nutrients, even the gentle murmur of the silence of the laboratory, all so that our small guests are at home.
Caring Like Family
Suppose you want to invite a good visitor to your house, you would ensure that he/she is relaxed, secure, and have been taken care of. That is just what embryologists do to embryos.
And every morning when we enter the lab, we just peep in on them (one at a time) to make sure they are dividing properly, that their environment is stable, and they are growing exactly as they are supposed to grow. It is a time of heavy bonding and love. We hail every milestone like fertilisation till the blastocyst stage as though we are witnessing how a child is making its first steps.
And once an embryo is fit to be transferred, we are both proud and a bit tender at the same time, since we realize that it is time that this little guest gets out of the lab and finally gets home.
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The Emotional Side of Science
What most people fail to notice is the emotional aspect of embryology. Behind each Petri dish is a tale of couples who have long been waiting, of parents who will be praying to get a miracle, of families who will be hoping to hear laughter in their homes.
When we touch embryos, we do it both scientifically and with heart. It is common practice to find embryologists muttering a bit of grow well before putting an embryo back into the incubator. These minor things are invisible, but show our profound reverence for the process every embryo is.
We are aware that they are not ours to stay. They have just been here a couple of days or so, they are on holiday in our house, and then they are taken away to their homes.
Creating a Safe Haven
The IVF lab is, in a sense, a sort of temporary home – a home where the smallest of lives is bred in the most ideal conditions. The incubators provide a womb-like atmosphere, with the oxygen, humidity, and temperature being balanced. We have the responsibility of making sure that this fragile balance is never compromised.
It is a common saying that, when an embryo is comfortable, it will be fine. That is why embryologists are so fussy. Even such minor details as the length of the dish outside the incubator or the smoothness of our movements with an embryo are essential. We think that care is as much nurturing as love is in a home.