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Incubators in an IVF lab

A temporary home for in vitro fertilization derived embryos before they are put in the uterus to (hopefully) continue life

We keep the eggs and embryos in the incubators. They are happier there. Incubators maintain a very constant and clean environment for the embryos. The most commonly used environmental conditions are 5% CO2 in air, 37 degrees Centigrade, and 100% relative humidity.

Incubators are often stacked like this to save lab space
The colored tape on the door of the upper unit is used to identify the location of
a patient's eggs or embryos in the incubator before the door is opened
This reduces the amount of time that the door has to remain open

The patient's chart, her paperwork, and sperm preparation materials are all color coded and all match her incubator label
This aids in identification - no 2 patients ever have the same color at the same time

Here both of the doors are open so you can see inside
The embryos are cultured in plastic dishes on the shelves

A close-up view of one of the shelves in the incubator
A dish containing embryos looks like this

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