ACTIVITY NUMBER: LABCC100C
 

ACTIVITY TITLE: Assisted Reproductive Technology Procedures: Basic Course
 

ACCREDITATION STATEMENT

The American Society for Reproductive Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
 

CREDIT DESIGNATION STATEMENT

The American Society for Reproductive Medicine designates this enduring material for a maximum of 7.75 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™.   Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
 

The American Society for Reproductive Medicine has been approved to provide Professional Enrichment Education Renewal (PEER) credit through the American Board of Bioanalysis.  This activity has been approved for 7.75 PEER credits through the American Board of Bioanalysis. 
 

Release Date:  October 15, 2014
Reviewed and Updated in 2017
Expiration Date: December 30, 2025
 

Estimated Time to Complete Activity: 7.75 hours

NEEDS ASSESSMENT and IDENTIFICATION OF PRACTICE GAP

Discussion and evidence about reproductive laboratory technologies can be found not only in the scientific literature, but in the popular press and on the Internet as well. New technologies with implications for the treatment of the infertile couple are being developed and advancing rapidly such that even experienced embryologists might benefit from additional educational opportunities. It is important, therefore, that clinicians, laboratory scientists, and allied health professionals are aware of the basic evaluation and treatment during an IVF cycle, as well as progress in technology that may have an impact on IVF now or in the future.  This online course provides detailed content in the field of basic ART laboratory techniques.  This area has been identified as a practice gap for reproductive care clinicians and scientists based on recent competence assessments by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine.

EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES

At the conclusion of this educational activity, participants should be able to:

1.      Discuss the various controlled ovarian stimulation protocols for in vitro fertilization (IVF).

2.      Describe the physiologic basis for formulation of embryo culture media and aspects that may impact embryo development.

3.      Discuss the role of commercially prepared culture media, in-house prepared culture media, and supplements in embryo metabolism.

4.      Identify sources of culture media contamination and processes to reduce and manage contamination.

5.      List the steps in oocyte retrieval for the embryologist and describe how equipment and personnel may impact the quality of the oocytes retrieved.

6.      Describe the process of ejaculation and identify correct and incorrect methods of semen collection.

7.      Discuss the sperm preparation for assisted reproduction, including media and supplements, swim-up and density gradients, testicular and epididymal sperm, and fresh versus frozen sperm.

8.      Discuss methods of oocyte insemination including conventional and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) and describe oocyte handling including cumulus removal, maturation assessment, and injection methods for ICSI.

9.      List the steps to prepare oocytes for fertilization assessment, evaluate signs of normal fertilization and identify indicators of fertilization quality and abnormal fertilization.

10.   Discuss the normal developmental kinetics of human embryos from day 1 through day 3, the morphological features that are typically used in assessment, and identify morphological predictors of embryo viability.

11.   Describe the process of blastocyst selection and grading including evaluation of the inner cell mass and trophectoderm cells, and discuss the role of blastocyst transfer.

12.   Describe the role of the embryologist in the embryo transfer process and discuss the factors that may affect the success of embryo transfer.

13.   Define third-party reproduction, the recommended screening, informed consent, compensation and cycle synchronization for oocyte donors and therapeutic donor insemination, and identify the guidelines for embryo donation and surrogacy.

COURSE OUTLINE 

Assisted Reproductive Technology Procedures – Basic

1.         Stimulation Protocols

2.         Culture Media and Conditions, Part 1

3.         Culture Media and Conditions, Part 2

4.         Microbial Contamination of IVF Cultures

5.         Oocyte Retrieval

6.         Semen Collection 

7.         Sperm Preparation

8.         IVF Insemination

9.         Changeover Day Fertilization Assessment

10.       Cleavage-Stage Embryo Grading

11.       Blastocyst Development and Grading 

12.       Embryo transfer

13.       Third-party Reproduction

TARGET AUDIENCE

This activity is designed to meet the educational needs of new and experienced clinicians, laboratory scientists and allied health professionals with an interest in ART laboratory technologies for the evaluation and treatment of the infertile couple.
 

ACGME COMPETENCIES
Medical Knowledge
Patient Care