No one can argue against the value of high-quality, correctly designed, appropriately powered, multicentre prospective RCTs (or even better systematic reviews of a number of such studies) as the ideal mechanism to generate evidenced-based medicine. But I’m afraid the assisted conception world is far from ideal in this respect and high-quality studies are notoriously difficult to carry out. Unfortunately, some might consider this the situation with evidence in support of the EmbryoScope and morphokinetic embryo selection algorithms, although I’m not sure I’d entirely agree.
Dr. Stephen Troup, Consultant Reproductive Scientist
Steve has worked in the field of clinical embryology for over 30 years starting in Manchester, where he completed a PhD in male infertility. Before his role as the Scientific Director of IVI UK, Steve was the Scientific Director of Liverpool Women's Hospital’s Hewitt Fertility Centres, one of the UK’s largest assisted conception providers. In addition to dealing with the many day-to-day ‘hands-on’, managerial and research responsibilities of a Consultant Clinical Embryologist, Steve is fortunate to have been afforded a broader perspective as a Scientific Inspector and advisor for the UK Regulator, the HFEA. Steve has been very much involved in clinical embryology as a profession, and is the current President of the Association of Clinical Embryologists’ (ACE). Steve is a Visiting Reader in Reproductive Medicine at Edge Hill University and now works independently as a Consultant Reproductive Scientist based in the UK.