Laboratories
At SGF, our mission is to provide you with the highest quality care, leveraging cutting-edge technology and a compassionate approach to help you achieve your dream of building a family. Our state-of-the-art laboratories are at the heart of our clinic, offering unparalleled expertise and advanced treatments in embryology, andrology, and endocrinology.
SGF’s embryology, andrology, and endocrine laboratories have reached national and international distinction for offering highly sophisticated laboratory procedures.
SGF has one of the most stringent, long-standing chain of custody protocols in the industry that was developed and continuously refined over the last 30 years. SGF uses RI Witness™, by CooperSurgical, an electronic witnessing system in conjunction with active staff witnessing to ensure patient specimen integrity at every step of the in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycle.
Shady Grove Fertility IVF lab locations
Our laboratory teams across the country are instrumental in building families. Explore what makes each location unique:
- Atlanta, GA
- Chesterbrook, PA
- Denver, CO
- Fairfax, VA
- Houston, TX
- Norfolk, VA
- Raleigh, NC
- Richmond, VA
- Rockville, MD
- Tampa, FL
- Towson, MD
Accreditations
All SGF labs are equipped with the very latest technology and are accredited by the Joint Commission or College of American Pathologists (CAP) and are operated under the distinct leadership of nationally and internationally known Michael J. Tucker, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Director of SGF’s IVF and Embryology Laboratories and James Graham, Senior Director of SGF Laboratory Services.
Our embryology labs are also members in good standing of the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technologies (SART), an organization whose mission it is to establish and maintain standards for assisted reproductive technologies (ART) to ensure patients receive the highest possible level of care. SART clinics meet the highest standards for quality, safety, and patient care. SGF reports birth outcome data to SART on an annual basis.
Embryology Laboratory
Our laboratory staff are responsible for the entire laboratory along with every egg that enters and every embryo that leaves. Each day starts with an audit of the incubators, media, and embryos in culture. The team then communicates the progress of each embryo in the laboratory to the patient’s individual medical team. Once they complete this daily audit the team then starts receiving eggs from the fresh in vitro fertilization (IVF) retrievals, preparing frozen and fresh embryos for transfer, and freezing eggs and embryos for later cycles all while maintaining a pristine laboratory to promote the safety for both the staff but also the eggs and embryos within the facility.
Much of the success of our practice rests on the reliability that comes from our embryology team’s diligence to follow every protocol exactly, be accountable to every patient they treat, and the extreme dedication to their jobs and patients 7 days a week 365 days a year.
Quality control is our #1 priority
At Shady Grove Fertility, making sure the right sperm end up with the right egg or that the right embryo is transferred to the right patient is the absolute, most important thing to our practice. An examination of the inner workings of our embryology laboratories demonstrates a combination of well-designed methods and well-trained personnel who maintain Shady Grove Fertility’s unblemished record for quality.
Andrology Center
Shady Grove Fertility has one of the premier andrology departments in the country. Our andrology centers are certified by several accrediting organizations including the Joint Commission and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Our team of andrologists, along with supporting staff, analyze and process over 20,000 specimens each year. We handle each specimen critical attention to both patient identification and quality control.
With semen analysis a critical component of all initial infertility work-ups, our patients interact with our andrology team at specimen drop off. At this time, one of our andrologists will greet you to review your paperwork, check your government issued form of identification, usually in the form of a drivers license or passport, and answer any questions you might have. If your distance from the office (more than 2 hours) prohibits you from collecting a semen sample at home you may schedule an appointment to use one of our private collection rooms.
What happens to my sperm sample?
Formal procedures govern how we meticulously confirm identity of all sperm samples at each stage of processing in our Andrology Center, including during:
- Sperm washing, a formal sperm preparation technique that removes harmful chemicals from the semen that may cause adverse reactions within the uterus; also used to identify the most motile, healthy sperm
- Sperm freezing, used particularly when in the case when the male partner will not be able to provide a fresh sperm sample at the time of treatment or with males who are undergoing medical treatments, such as radiation or chemotherapy, that may otherwise affect their future fertility potential
- Donor sperm preparation
Patients will receive their semen analysis results from their ordering physician—OB/GYN, primary care physician, urologist, or reproductive endocrinologist—within a few days. Upon review of your results, your physician will make a recommendation regarding next steps, which may include additional semen testing.
For Shady Grove Fertility patients, your reproductive endocrinologist often discusses the results of all diagnostic work-up tests during your follow-up visit.
Endocrine Laboratory
Shady Grove Fertility’s endocrine laboratories have received accreditation and distinction by the several accrediting organizations including the Joint Commission, the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) Act, or the College of American Pathologists (CAP).
Given the time-sensitive nature of reproductive medicine and infertility treatment in particular, our highly specialized and reliable Endocrine Lab staff use the most advanced automated systems to process thousands of blood samples every single day. The results of blood testing in our lab assist in:
- Diagnosing reproductive issues
- Monitoring your response to ovarian stimulation medications while in cycle whether it be during basic treatments or in vitro fertilization (IVF)
- Identifying the optimal time for retrieval of your eggs during an IVF cycle
- Confirming a pregnancy by processing a beta blood test
- Ongoing research in reproductive biology
Daily quality controls and calibrations are top priorities in our Endocrine Laboratory to produce the most precise and efficient results.
Morning Monitoring
As a patient who is cycling through treatment, (sometimes daily) morning monitoring allows your physician to precisely track the progress of your cycle during the ovarian stimulation phase and adjust medication dosages as needed. Monitoring appointments typically last 15 to 20 minutes, and consist of an ultrasound and bloodwork:
- The transvaginal ultrasound measures the growth of the egg-containing follicles and the thickness of the uterine lining, both of which should be increasing throughout the stimulation phase.
- A blood sample makes it possible to measure the level of estradiol, or estrogen—another indicator of the growth and maturation of the eggs. Estradiol levels will rise as the follicles grow.
In the afternoon of a monitoring appointment, you can expect a phone call from your nurse with updates including any changes in medication dosing and coordination of your next monitoring appointment. This is also an opportunity to speak directly with your nurse and ask any questions regarding infertility treatment.
Michael J. Tucker, Ph.D., HCLD
Scientific Director
