Guardianship and Maintenance of Eggs, Sperm, and Embryos

The most crucial aspect of an embryology laboratory is safeguarding the identity of patients’ blood samples, sperm, eggs, and embryos. In our Clinic, multi-layer safety measures are taken to guarantee the "chain of custody" of your eggs, sperm, and embryos.

The following set of rules highlights the principles of the "chain of custody" used for your blood samples, semen samples, eggs, and embryos at Bay IVF.

Patients must be identified prior to giving or receiving samples of any kind. The sample must contain the following written information:

1. Name of the patient and the partner
2. SSN or unique Bay IVF ID number
3. Name of the test/treatment requested
4. Date and time of specimen collection

 

A record is maintained for every specimen (blood samples, semen samples, eggs, and embryos) accepted/created by the laboratory embryologists:

1. The embryologist records the patient’s full name, Bay IVF ID number or SSN, date and time of specimen collection, and the name of the test/treatment.
2. The laboratory personnel will get a verbal confirmation of the patient’s name and will double check using the patient’s chart prior to receiving or releasing a semen specimen, receiving follicular aspirate during egg retrieval procedure, or performing an embryo transfer. Another embryologist, physician, or IVF coordinator witnesses this confirmation.
3. Provisions are made to identify and label gametes (eggs and sperm) and embryos as to their origin and ownership.
4. Only one egg retrieval procedure is scheduled at a time to safeguard the temporal separation between eggs and sperm of different patients.

 

Due to the nature of the procedures performed at the Bay IVF, all details of the treatment are indefinitely stored including the patient’s cycle information and a listing of any vitrified (cryopreserved) embryos in liquid nitrogen storage. This information is recorded both in paper form as well as digitally, with a secure continuous back-up.

We encourage you to ask as many questions as you need to feel completely assured in entrusting your eggs, sperm, and embryos in our care.