Written By: Dr. Mark Payson, Co-Founder and Medical Director of CCRM Fertility of Northern Virginia
Many factors must come together to help our patients achieve a successful, healthy pregnancy. While the expertise of our world-class doctors and staff is an essential piece of the equation, a critical part of the in vitro fertilization (IVF) process happens in a place that most patients never see: our laboratory.
CCRM labs are state-of-the-art facilities, specifically designed to maximize your chances of having a healthy baby. Not all IVF labs are equal in terms of the quality of the environment and measures taken to ensure the maximal chances of creating and growing embryos.
Our lab research teams work to determine the best environment, technology and equipment to achieve successful pregnancies, and they engage in continuous monitoring and quality control to improve these standards. This rigorous approach sets us apart and helps us achieve the high pregnancy rates for which we are known.
While much of what happens in the CCRM lab is highly scientific, we set strict standards for the environment, including what material may be used in our labs. Embryos are highly sensitive, and to ensure that they’re not harmed during their time in the lab, all equipment used to handle or process cells are screened carefully for toxicity before being allowed in contact with eggs, sperm, or embryos. Our labs are designed with separate air filters to control various environmental factors that are critical such as pH, oxygen concentration, temperature, and air quality. The environmental standards for CCRM labs exceed that of operating rooms.
CCRM is currently expanding its network of clinics around the nation, in order to bring this quality of care to more and more people. We take extraordinary measures to ensure consistency between facilities with respect to training of personnel, supplies and equipment and use of those materials. This starts with lab design and construction and continues with quality control and ongoing quality assessment on a daily, weekly, monthly and yearly basis to ensure success.
Even though you may not see all that happens in our labs, know that they are the best environment to help you achieve your goal of building your family!
