Embryology: Automate the admin, free the expertise

Embryology: Automate the admin, free the expertise

Something that we have learned working with our partner clinics and especially the labs is that embryologists are scientists. Precision-driven, highly skilled, deeply trained scientists. But spend a few hours in a typical fertility clinic lab, and you’ll see something surprising: a whole lot of time being spent on… paperwork.

From labeling straws and updating spreadsheets, to manually entering cryo inventory and hunting for missing consents, it’s a world still heavily built on clipboards, colour codes, and disconnected systems. Science has advanced. The workflows? Not so much.

It’s time to fix that.

The real problem: admin is eating your lab time

In the embryology lab, every moment counts. But far too often, highly trained professionals are spending those moments buried in administrative tasks:

• Double-checking cryo tank inventory

• Tracking fertilization schedules on post-its

• Entering the same patient details into three different systems

• Printing out and filing paper consents (again)

These aren’t just annoyances, they’re friction points. They slow down your team, increase the risk of human error, and ultimately impact patient outcomes.

Let’s be clear: this isn’t about replacing people with AI. This is about giving people better tools so they can focus on what they do best, science, precision, and patient care.

What if the admin works just… took care of itself?

Let’s imagine a different kind of lab. One where:

• Daily tasks are automatically surfaced based on patient timelines

• Consents are pre-populated and signed digitally, no paper in sight

• Cryo storage updates the inventory in real time as samples are logged or moved

• Every sample is traceable and cross-referenced, without opening five tabs

• Billing, audits, and outcome tracking are integrated into your workflow, not bolted on later

That’s not some futuristic fantasy, it’s what’s already possible with connected, automated lab systems.

Cryo storage: the cold, hard reality

Let’s talk cryo. For a lot of clinics, cryo storage is still managed with spreadsheets, stickers, and colour-coded tape. It works… until it doesn’t.

Manual cryo tracking creates risk. Not just from potential sample mix-ups (a nightmare no clinic wants to face), but also in the form of:

• Missed billing cycles

• Expired consents

• Regulatory headaches

• Lost time searching for records or verifying locations

With automated cryo tools, you get:

• Real-time inventory visibility

• Integrated consents and audit logs

• Automated billing and renewal reminders

• Fewer manual handovers, more confidence in your chain of custody

We believe that this is how labs protect their patients, and their own peace of mind.

Data can do more than sit in a file

Your lab is full of data: cycle start dates, cryo events, ICSI schedules, embryo development timelines. But if that data is stuck in disconnected systems, it can’t help you work smarter.

Imagine using that data to:

• Predict peak lab workloads

• Balance embryologist shifts more effectively

• Flag upcoming cryo retrievals in advance

• Surface tasks dynamically instead of relying on printed checklists

This isn’t about complexity, it’s about clarity. When systems are connected and data flows freely, labs become more proactive, more efficient, and less reactive to the chaos of a busy clinic.

Let embryologists do what they were trained for

Automating lab workflows isn’t about cutting corners. It’s about respecting the talent in the room. When embryologists aren’t bogged down with repetitive admin, they have more time for what really matters: quality control, scientific decision-making, collaboration, and patient care.

Let’s stop asking scientists to be secretaries.

Let’s give them systems that actually support their work.

Let’s turn the fertility lab into a place where the tools feel as advanced as the science.

Because the future of fertility care isn’t about replacing people, it’s about smart, connected labs that amplify the expertise already there.

And this isn’t just about better workflows or higher quality, it’s about unlocking growth. By removing manual friction and connecting the dots, clinics can scale smarter, empower their lab teams, and do more with the same people, without burning them out.