Embryology – STP Perspectives

Nurturing Life in the Laboratory: The Embryologist’s Perspective

The journey of the embryo during its first week of development

Since the beginning of life, the evolution of gametes produced one big and immotile gamete, the egg. It also produced one small and highly specialised motile cell, the sperm. In humans, the ampulla in the female reproductive tract is where magic happens (Figure 1 and 2).

**Figure 1.** Natural embryo development in the female reproductive tract. Taken from Carroll, 2018.

**Figure 2**. Time-lapse imaging of embryo development *in vitro* (the embryo has good quality; the velocity of the video was increased).

STP Specialisms – Embryology

What is Embryology as a clinical field?

Fertility treatment has been an established medical specialism for over four decades, yet many people are unaware of what it entails, and the role clinical and non-clinical staff play. An IVF clinic combines the skill sets of consultants, specialist nurses, and scientists to assist couples trying to conceive. The latter is where I come in. Hi! My name is Laurie-Anne, and I am a second-year Embryology trainee (Reproductive Science) at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust. I’m going to show you what a day in the life of an Embryologist is like and how we contribute to fertility treatment.