What Is RI Witness Technology?
Navigating the world of fertility treatments can be daunting and emotional, especially if you have struggled to conceive. Recently, fertility clinics have made headlines for all the wrong reasons. Understandably, patients want to ensure that their precious embryos, eggs, and sperm samples are safe guarded, and protected against mix-ups such as those that have put other fertility clinics in the spotlight.
At the Center for Fertility and Gynecology, our lab protocols and technicians in Encino, CA, go above and beyond to ensure your samples are safe. Along with stringent guidelines, our clinic has adopted RI witness technology to provide an even stronger level of protection. Learn more about how this technology can safeguard against human error to protect your embryos, sperm, and eggs stored in our lab. We also have offices in Thousand Oaks, Torrance, Bakersfield, and Tarzana.
What Is RI Witness Technology and How Is it Used in Fertility Treatments?
RI witness technology uses Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), to track all samples within the lab. In the world of fertility, RI witness technology is used to track embryos, sperm, and egg samples. Using RFID, the system tracks every time a sample is moved within the lab, and each sample is linked to an individual patient.
The RFID tag is provided to each container containing samples during every stage of retrieval or collection, and fertilization and implantation in the case of in vitro fertilization (IVF) or intrauterine insemination (IUI). This technology is also used to track eggs and sperm collected for fertility preservation such as egg freezing. Our RI witness system also ensures that only one patient can be worked on at a time.
While we adhere to strict guidelines within our Encino lab, this further reduces the chances that your samples are swapped due to human error. If the sample does not match the patient or chart the sample is attached to, an alarm will sound to alert staff, thus preventing human error.
Why Is RI Witness Technology Important?
Fertility clinics have made the news in the past for mix-ups. This has led to devastating consequences, such as patients being inseminated with the wrong sperm or implanted with the incorrect embryo.
The Center for Fertility and Gynecology is dedicated to upholding the strictest of standards to prevent instances of mix-ups. RI witness technology simply provides an extra layer of protection against human error. We believe this can also give patients even further assurance that their samples are given the highest level of care possible.
Is RFID Technology Safe?
Patients are not only concerned with the safekeeping of their samples, but they are also concerned with how technology may impact the quality of their eggs, sperm, and embryos. The radio frequencies used in RFID tracking have been studied to determine if the radio waves used are safe for the samples, and if they impacted fertility and pregnancy rates.
According to the study posted by the National Center for Biotechnology Information, "preliminary data also show that EWS does not affect the gametes, embryos, and pregnancy rate adversely," and further studies have concluded the same.
Have Questions About Our Lab? Contact Us
We understand just how overwhelming the world of fertility can be. If you have questions about RI witness technology, our lab, or fertility treatments, contact us today. We have locations in Tarzana, Bakersfield, Encino, Torrance, and Thousand Oaks for your convenience.