Ongoing Laboratory Improvement: Why Labs Need Some TLC Too

Fertility clinic laboratories continuously monitor the status and location of their patients' embryos, sperm, and eggs. Advanced security systems are active 24/7 to keep these precious materials safe and protocols are strictly followed with every movement.

Skip to a specific section:

• What is Ongoing Laboratory Improvement (OLI)?
• An Embryologist Answers Your Questions
• When does Ongoing Laboratory Improvement (OLI) occur?
• Why is there an OLI?
• What else does OLI do to improve the lab?
• What happens to the embryos, eggs, and sperm during OLI?
• Are lab staff still working during OLI?
• The Goal of Ongoing Laboratory Improvement

What is Ongoing Laboratory Improvement (OLI)?

At some point each year, a fertility clinic's laboratory needs some extra TLC to confirm that its systems and processes are up to the current standards of the practice and all is functioning as it should. 

Here at Illume Fertility, we call this Ongoing Laboratory Improvement (OLI for short). 

During this time period, things need to go a bit dormant for a couple weeks in order to take care of equipment, staff, and the delicate materials they work with. The lab needs a little "quiet time" and embryos and other specimen need to be properly stowed away and safeguarded.  

But why does a lab need to take this time away from its normal workflow? Is it necessary? And most importantly, is it safe? We talked to the experts and got some answers.

Note: All of this information pertains specifically to Illume Fertility. It is common practice across the industry to administer a laboratory quality check, but our standards, protocols, and securities are our own.

An Embryologist Answers Your Questions

We asked one of Illume's head embryologists to break down the importance of OLI, what happens during this time period, and what it all means for fertility patients.

If you prefer video, check out this Instagram Live with our Founder and Medical Director, Dr. Mark Leondires.

When does Ongoing Laboratory Improvement (OLI) occur?

At Illume Fertility, this annual OLI checkpoint occurs from around December 24th to January 10th, though dates change slightly each year. During this timeframe, we must pause performing certain reproductive procedures, like egg retrievals and embryo transfers.

Why is there an OLI? 

OLI is an extremely important process that is pretty standard for IVF laboratories across the globe. Some practices have multiple checkpoints throughout the year, while others (like Illume) only have one.

Because we only have this one major annual checkpoint, it's vital that we maximize this time to get lots of essential maintenance, cleaning, updates, and mandatory paperwork completed. 

Since Illume Fertility is only "closed" a couple days each year (Christmas Day and New Year’s Day), our equipment runs 24/7 on all other days of the year. Preventative maintenance and standard service appointments are made during this OLI checkpoint to allow for ease of access to our essential equipment like incubators, refrigerators, and centrifuges.

During the OLI period, all equipment is serviced, cleaned, sterilized, and tested before being put back into service for the next year. This allows us time to ensure that all equipment is in tip-top shape for our patients at all times.

What else does OLI do to improve the lab?

Since Illume's laboratories are constantly active, it is nearly impossible to schedule the installation and set up of new equipment. As a result, this can only be performed when the lab is in a period of downtime.

We would never want to risk bumping into other equipment or staff when trying to move or assemble large items (like incubators or hoods). For this reason, these couple weeks of OLI offer a safe time to update our current equipment and add anything new that we might need for the upcoming year.

Are lab staff still working during OLI?

Since Illume is open virtually 365 days a year, this equates to the need for staff to be on-site at all times. While this OLI period is not intended for the purpose of vacation time, it does offer a little more flexibility for some of our hardworking staff to take time off with their own families around the holidays.

Even for our staff members who do not take time off, completing necessary administrative tasks offers a break from the intense procedural schedule we maintain throughout the year.

In addition to our laboratory equipment, Illume's embryologists and andrologists are actively working almost 365 days per year - for as many hours as necessary to complete all procedures at the highest level of care.

For this reason, it is vital that our staff are also allowed an opportunity to rest and recharge.

What happens to embryos, eggs, and sperm during OLI? 

You can feel secure in knowing that all specimens are safely stored on-site during the OLI timeframe. Laboratory staff remain present to closely measure and monitor each cryo storage tank throughout the day (where frozen eggs, embryos, and sperm are kept).

In addition to visual monitoring during the day, each cryo tank is monitored 24/7 by a robust alarm system that includes two different probes to check temperatures.

If anything shifts within our lab, whether that's the temperature changing by one degree or a light turning on or off…we will always know about it.

The Goal of Ongoing Laboratory Improvement

For active embryology and andrology labs such as ours, this OLI checkpoint is a critical time to incorporate brand new, high-end technology and machinery, plus optimize the existing securities and equipment that are working hard every day of the year.

You can trust that at Illume Fertility, we are taking this time to ensure a safe, secure, efficient journey for you. It all comes down to the fact that we want you feel confident in our high standard of care and have the best possible chances of success!

Going through infertility is never easy, and we want to be able to offer you the peace of mind that your specimen are cared for in the best way possible. This quality check of our laboratories allows us to do just that.