"Perspectives" Blog Series: Kate Pache Embryologist

SHARING “PERSPECTIVES” SURROUNDING THIRD PARTY REPRODUCTION

EVERYONE HAS A VOICE…A HEART…A PERSPECTIVE

LET’S LISTEN TO EACH OTHER

Meet Embryologist & lab supervisor Kate Pache, M.Sc. at Fertility Specialists Medical Group in San Diego. Kate is responsible for the day-to-day operations of both the andrology and embryology laboratories at FSMG. She has the special job of helping put all the “pieces together” when it comes to IVF. Besides having that awesome job Kate is a mama, animal lover and co-founder of humaniskind.org, a not-for-profit organization helping young woman in Africa through education and support! She’s also a fellow indie author of the children’s book, “Spectacular You”, about IVF! Here’s a little Q&A with Kate about the magic that goes down in the embryology lab!

Q: It must be such a unique job you do, especially when fertilizing eggs with ICSI (injection of sperm into an egg). What goes through your mind when you’re performing this procedure?

A: ICSI is a weird one because people often refer to it as “Playing God.” But we don't do that. Injecting a sperm inside of an egg is purely technical. What happens after that is an absolute miracle that even science doesn't fully understand. Fertilization is an incredibly complex process that requires numerous cascade events to occur. So, when I'm performing ICSI, I'm doing my best to select sperm with a normal appearance and making sure my micro tools are positioning the egg perfectly. And I'm conscious of the control of my hands. Other than that, there's nothing else I can do to make a different outcome. I don't ever take credit for good fertilization and don't blame myself for poor fertilization because, as long as the procedure was performed technically well, the fate was decided by the sperm and egg before I even introduced them.

Q: What is the hardest part of your job?

A: The hours! Embryology is not just procedural based although because all cycles vary and embryos grow for days in the laboratory, procedures keep us committed 7 days a week. But there are a ton of regulatory things (records, testing, reviews of documents) that need to stay current in order for us to maintain our licenses. This often requires long hours and can be frustrating on top of an often times 7 day work week. But, in my current practice, we embryologists do get to meet our patients and we often bond with many of them. So when they come in with pregnant bellies or bring their babies in, it honestly makes it all feel so very worth it.

Q: In some ways I think of an embryologist as kind of a “co-pilot” to Mother Nature. How do you see your role in “helping” conception along?

A: Again, I don't see it that way at all. ART (Assisted Reproductive Technology) is just another western form of medicine that seeks to cure a disease. Just like surgery may help cure a disease, we are also simply using tools that science and technology have given us to help people who suffer from infertility. I don't think we're helping mother nature anymore than any other medical field helps. But I'm very proud of the work that we do and I think, for the individuals it helps, it's nothing short of amazing. Mother Nature, of course, takes it over from where we leave off. Which is like most areas of science like antibiotics, for example. So, I guess in a way, your statement is very accurate! :)

Thanks Kate for sharing your “Perspective”!

Buy Kate’s book, “Spectacular You, An IVF Love Story” on Amazon

Learn about Kate’s not-for-profit organization at humaniskind.org