ABB Embryology study materials
ABB Embryology study resources

ABB Embryology case studies

ABB Embryology · Put your knowledge to work in context.

The ABB Embryology credential is a professional certification for laboratory scientists who perform human embryology work in assisted reproduction. It signals to employers, inspectors, and accreditors that a technologist or supervisor has demonstrated the theoretical and practical knowledge expected of someone directing or performing embryology laboratory operations. Candidates are typically experienced embryologists, or laboratory staff moving into supervisory roles, who already hold a science degree and have hands-on laboratory training. The exam spans the full laboratory workflow: gamete biology and reproductive anatomy, fertilization and early development, laboratory technique, culture systems and incubation, micromanipulation and assisted technologies, cryopreservation, embryo assessment and grading, quality control and safety, and the regulatory and ethical framework governing the field. The ABB Embryology case studies are 5 cases and about 1,864 words.

1

The Vanishing Sperm Motility

A 34-year-old man submits a semen sample for a fertility workup after 14 months of unprotected intercourse. The sample is collected at home and delivered to the lab 95 minutes after ejaculation, transported in a jacket pocket at roughly 33°C.

434 words, about 2 min
2

Slow Cleavage Before a Fresh Transfer

A 31-year-old woman undergoes her first IVF cycle. Twelve oocytes are retrieved; ten are mature and inseminated by conventional IVF.

385 words, about 2 min
3

The Incubator That Drifted

A busy laboratory runs three tri-gas incubators. On Monday morning, the continuous monitoring log shows that Incubator B drifted from 6.0% CO2 to 5.2% CO2 over the weekend, and its temperature readout was 36.6°C instead of 37.0°C for an unknown duration.

352 words, about 2 min
4

ICSI With a Difficult Sample

A couple undergoes ICSI for severe oligozoospermia. The fresh ejaculate contains only a few motile sperm after processing, and the embryologist identifies eight mature (MII) oocytes.

341 words, about 2 min
5

The Embryo That Should Not Be Transferred

A 38-year-old woman has one blastocyst after a cycle in which preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A) was performed. The report is inconclusive because of low DNA amplification, and the embryo is graded 3BB.

352 words, about 2 min