IVF & Embryology Lab at TRIO

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A micrograph of In Vitro Fertilization.

IVF & Embryology Lab at TRIO​

In addition to the breadth and expertise of your fertility team, the assisted reproductive technology (ART) lab plays an essential role in supporting your fertility journey. At TRIO, we have the longest-running on-site IVF lab in Canada. It’s one of the many ways that we help our patients have the best chances of success in growing their families.

State-of-the-Art IVF Lab

There are multiple factors that go into creating a leading IVF lab, which is designed to support embryo growth and development. These include, but are not limited to the following factors:

Lab Director and Team

TRIO has the most experienced team of embryologists in Canada. Several members of our team have been doing IVF from the very beginning, when the procedure was first offered in Canada in the mid 1980’s; as well as ICSI, from the time it was first pioneered. In addition to its notable experience, TRIO also has one of the largest embryology/andrology teams, with more than 15 members working in the onsite lab.

Precision Care and Control

We are precise about processes, quality control and all aspects of embryology. When we take your egg from the follicular fluid, we carefully put it into a sterile dish. Then, we gently wash it and we put it directly into an incubator. Since it has been taken from its natural environment, our job is to make sure that we decrease any stress on an egg. We do this by mimicking the inside of the body as much as we can. The inside of the incubator we put your egg into is warm and humid, and we use a nutritive media to nourish eggs and embryos.

Leading Quality Equipment

TRIO’s lab is a one hundred percent time lapse facility. This means our equipment is much safer for your embryos as they can be observed without being disturbed or removed from their environment during development. Our technological capabilities — including spindleview, assisted hatching, embryo biopsy, high powered microscope micromanipulation, and more -- give our embryologists an edge: they are able to work with eggs, sperm and embryos in high definition, providing a maximized quality of care.

Safety and Security

We take all elements of patient identification very seriously, and we use sophisticated technology to ensure this. — We create a unique identification number for each patient, as well as a bar coding system associated with each patient’s name, unique identification number and a designated barcode. Barcode labels with unique identification numbers are placed on each dish or tube that comes into contact with eggs, sperm and embryos. And we verify the bar codes before each procedure by scanning them to ensure accuracy. We account for all eggs, sperm and embryos 100 percent of the time.

Dedicated Air-Filtration System

TRIO’s lab has a dedicated air handling system that ensures an optimal environment for your eggs, and embryos. . The sophisticated equipment and HEPA filtration deliver surgical grade air quality and 45 air changes per hour, filtering out VOC’s (volatile organic compounds such as chemicals, fumes, toxins), and other particles, including viruses and bacteria.

Leading Practices & Protocols

In addition to their extensive education and experience, TRIO’s embryologists have achieved certification through the CFAS. Our lab director was on the committee that developed this certification, which is focused on specific lab competency objectives for embryologists in Canadian labs.

Temperature Control

All of the equipment in our lab is kept at precisely 37 degrees centigrade, or body temperature. This is optimal for your eggs and embryos.

Frequently Asked Questions

Our training, expertise, experience and technology. In addition, TRIO’s lab consistently achieves pregnancy rates that are higher than the Canadian average.
TRIO is very serious about safety and security. Our lab is equipped with backup power, back up tanks, and a sophisticated alarm system for all of our incubators and storage tanks. Monitoring is in place 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If any parameters change, we are notified immediately.
Yes. While your day-to-day monitoring takes place at a satellite clinic, your IVF procedure, and all of the associated lab procedures will take place at TRIO’s downtown clinic, where our lab is located.
You and your doctor will discuss your specific diagnosis and treatment plan, and your doctor will recommend which lab technologies will give you the best chances for success.

Patient Stories

“We will never forget that day we had our embryo transfer! At times throughout our journey it was difficult to stay positive, but we were always hopeful we would get to send a success story like this to TRIO. After years of wanting to welcome a baby into our family, our dream came true. 💜 Many thanks to all the TRIO staff, especially Dr. Chang (our RE), Dr. Gunn (who performed my egg retrieval), Edem in the OR, and Dr. Meriano and his staff in the lab. Thank you for helping us expand our family! Miracles really do happen”
A photograph of a baby.
Chelsea & Ryan, Patients