What's in the Sauce? Why The IVF Lab Matters.
How many chefs do you know that will hand over the ingredients to their famous, to-die-for, take-seconds, -thirds, and even -fourths “sauce”? Not many. What makes their dish unique is usually kept under lock and key and shared with only their closest confidants. The same can be said for the conditions in an IVF laboratory. “Secret ingredients” (a.k.a. laboratory culture conditions, temperature settings, and embryologist technique) are in many ways what distinguishes one IVF center from the next.
When trying to pick a fertility doctor and clinic, it is important to have some statistics and more information about their lab too. Think of a pitcher or a hitter. Would you draft a pitcher without knowing their ERA or a hitter without knowing their batting average? Probably not—especially not if you want to win! Think of pregnancy as the win. If the IVF laboratory the doctor works with has poor stats, no matter how much you like the player (a.k.a. the doctor), you should probably draft someone else.
Where you get these “player’s stats” can be tricky. Some sites and resources are not so reliable. We suggest you check out the CDC and SART websites. They are reputable and well researched. They give data to you straight and perform due diligence in getting accurate information from individual clinics before sharing it. Use their information to become informed. Checking them out before you draft your team might make you re-think your roster.
The old saying goes, “Behind every great man is a great woman.” Nowadays, you could say, “Behind every great woman is a great man” or “Behind every great woman is a great woman” or “Behind every great man is great man.” Whichever combination is specific to you and where you are standing, you can be sure whoever is standing behind you is the key to your success. The same goes for us fertility doctors and our IVF laboratory staff. Without the men and women who sit behind us, we are powerless. We can tell you what’s not working and figure out how to fix it, but only with the skill of our embryology colleagues.
We are going to give it to you straight. Your natural egg quality matters to an extent (and is based on many factors…mainly age), and there may be things you can do to optimize them…eat a healthy anti-inflammatory diet, work with an acupuncturist, take appropriate herbs and supplements, but those can only go so far. They can make you eggs the best they can be, but the lab is where it’s really at after that. No matter how many accolades one physician receives, they also rely on a whole team of people. So while we can’t share the secret to each center’s sauce, we can recommend that you do some serious taste tasting before settling on your choice—it can make the difference between success and failure.