A patient once asked me, mid-consultation, “But what does the embryologist actually do in there?” I realised I’d answered some version of that question a thousand times, in a thousand different ways — and never once in writing. That gap is what this site is meant to fill.
Even as an embryologist working inside this field, I sometimes wonder how someone looking in from the outside is supposed to find their way through so much scattered, and often contradictory, information about IVF.
This site exists to be exactly that: a corner where you can pause in the middle of all this confusion and catch your breath.
Who I Am
I’m Can Ata. For years, I’ve worked inside IVF laboratories, behind the microscope, witnessing the most fragile moments in a cell’s life.
After completing my master’s degree in Histology and Embryology at Eskişehir Osmangazi University, I received my Ministry of Health-approved Embryology Laboratory Director training at Acıbadem Kadıköy Hospital. I currently work in the embryology laboratory of an IVF centre in Cyprus.
Why Does This IVF Blog Exist?
The reasons behind this site really come down to a few things.
- A resource for our patients: the answers I give during a consultation often have to fit into limited time. Some subjects need a broader, calmer setting — one you can return to again and again. This site exists to fill that gap.
- A resource for anyone curious about IVF: whether you haven’t started this journey yet or are simply thinking about it. Sometimes a loved one, a friend, or you yourself are looking for a reliable, clear, and accurate source on this process.
- A personal record: as a scientist, I wanted to put down, somewhere, what I’ve learned, observed, and experienced over the years — a small note left for history, of what an embryologist of this era thought, knew, and how he explained it.
How Should You Use This Site?
In the blog section and on other pages, I’ll regularly cover:
- the different stages of the IVF process
- what actually happens inside the embryology laboratory
- frequently asked questions
- common misconceptions
My goal is for every single post to teach you something, even read entirely on its own.
For general questions, comments, and contributions, you can reach me through the contact page on this site. Where it makes sense, I may turn some of these into future blog posts.
One thing I want to make clear from the start: this site is not a substitute for a diagnosis or treatment recommendation. Any assessment specific to your own treatment naturally requires a one-on-one consultation. The real purpose of this site is to help you walk into that consultation able to ask better questions and better understand your own process.
A Language Everyone Can Understand
IVF is often explained in a far more complicated way than it needs to be. Yet the logic behind this process is simple enough for anyone to understand, when it’s explained patiently and with the right examples.
I won’t hide behind medical jargon here. Whenever I use a technical term, I’ll try to explain it in its simplest form — because knowledge only shows its real value once it’s understood.
Where I’ll Draw the Line: The Limits of This Site
I need to be honest with you here. The IVF process isn’t the subject of embryology alone. It’s a multidisciplinary field that also involves other specialties, such as obstetrics and gynaecology, and genetics.
On this site, I’ll focus on my own area of expertise: the IVF laboratory process. I’ll only touch on topics requiring obstetric or genetic counselling where they intersect with IVF, and only to the extent of my own knowledge.
I won’t go into the depths of those fields, because they belong to the expertise of my other colleagues. Perhaps one day I’ll have the chance to host valued colleagues from those disciplines on this site, so you can benefit from their knowledge as well.
A Final Word
I’m very fond of an analogy from Celal Şengör, a well-known Turkish scientist:
Imagine we are in a vast, dark forest. I’m holding a small torch, trying to find our way with it. From time to time, I too might take a wrong turn, might make a mistake — after all, I’m not someone looking in from outside this forest, but someone walking through it. Still, I’ll do my best, with the knowledge I have, to light the way for us.
That, in fact, is exactly why this site exists: so you don’t have to be alone in the dark, and so I can share the small light I’m carrying with you.
Welcome.
Can Ata