Is your embryologist missing eggs?
Yes, regularly (according to AutoIVF's Feb '26 paper in Nature)
Traditionally during egg retrieval, the doctor sucks up fluid from each follicle using an aspiration pump. Then, the embryologists manually sort through the follicular fluid under a microscope looking for eggs.
Researchers from AutoIVF recently unveiled their FIND-Chip device, a microfluidic device that filters, strips, and isolates clean eggs from the follicular fluid automatically. This is a prerequisite for ICSI-based insemination or egg freezing.
In their 19-patient pilot, the device found one extra egg in 58% of patients. In total, the device resulted in 10% more eggs, 52% of which were mature. One of these eggs even turned into a live birth !!!
Next, they took discarded follicular fluid from 582 different patients. This was fluid that embryologists already sifted through for eggs.
Across this sample, the device found extra eggs in over half of the patients -> 583 extra eggs overall.
This is especially valuable for low responders. For patients who retrieved 0-5 eggs initially, the device round an extra egg in 35% of the samples. That could be significant enough to make or break an entire cycle.
Sources:
- Mutlu, B.R., Civale, S.C., Diettrich, J. et al. (2026), "Microfluidic automation improves oocyte recovery from follicular fluid of patients undergoing in vitro fertilization," Nature Medicine
- Remembryo summary (highly suggest this resource)