Estradoil reading during stimulation
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Hi Dr. Smith
In a prior post you indicated what an appropriate estradoil reading is before retrieval of the eggs. However does the estradoil readings really indicate the outcome/quality of the eggs will be after the retrieval?
what impact the egg quality the most during a stimulation protocol, i.e. type of drug, amount of drug, suppression amount or type?
any imput would be great.
also I was wondering if you would share with us your education background. I was curious to what a lab director studies when they are in college? is it part of a medical school background or exactly what is the type of curriculum an embryologist takes to go into this field?
thanks
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High estradiol levels (i.e. >6000 pg/ml), per se, are not directly detrimental to the eggs, BUT they are indicative of problems which occurred during the stimulation. The length of stimulation can effect to the maturation of the eggs. If too short, the eggs do not have adequate time for cytoplasmic maturation. This is reflected in poor fertilization, excessive fragmentation, slow division cycles, etc. As long as an adequate amount of medication is used to sustain the growth of the follicles, the eggs will mature normally. The actual amount of medication necessary to sustain the follicular growth varies from one patient to the next. As long as the stimulating medication is used properly, the brand of medication doesn't matter. Prolonged suppression can result in a blunted response to the stimulation medications.
I, personally, have a doctorate (Ph.D.) in Reproductive Biology. My mentor, Ryuzo Yanagimachi, was one of the pioneers in the field of in vitro fertilization. I wrote national board exams in both Andrology and Embryology and I am certified to direct both types of labs. However, not all lab directors have an academic background in reproductive biology. Many came to this field from other disciplines such as biochemistry or cell biology. Although the term "embryologist" is used loosely in the IVF field, there is a distinction between an embryologist (a bachelors or masters level lab technician) and a Ph.D. lelvel lab director. Lab directors may also work as embryologists, but not vice versa unless the embryologist has passed the board exam in embryology.
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