The Revised guidelines for good practice in IVF laboratories (2026)

The ESHRE IVF labs working group updated the recommendations on the general organisation of an IVF laboratory (staffing and direction, quality management, laboratory safety), and on the specific aspects of the procedures performed in IVF laboratories (identification of patients and traceability of their reproductive cells, consumables, handling of biological material, oocyte retrieval, sperm preparation, insemination of oocytes, scoring for fertilisation, embryo culture and transfer, cryopreservation and emergency procedures).

What's new in this update

The working group has made several key changes since the previous edition:

• The section on embryo culture and embryo transfer has been split into two separate sections for clarity
• The section on sperm preparation has been expanded to cover all general andrological procedures
• A new section on embryo biopsy has been introduced