| Detail | For this role |
|---|---|
| Department | Clinical and Medical |
| Level | Mid level |
| Reports to | Medical Director |
| Direct reports | Embryologist, Fertility Counsellor |
| Experience | 3 to 8 years in reproductive medicine, with independent egg retrievals and transfers |
IVF Specialist job description template
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Job title: IVF Specialist
Department: Clinical and Medical
Reports to: Medical Director
Location: [City], [office, branch or site]
About the role
An IVF Specialist, or reproductive medicine specialist, treats couples who have not been able to conceive. They investigate both partners, choose between ovulation induction, IUI and IVF with ICSI, run stimulation protocols, perform egg retrieval and embryo transfer, and work with the embryologist on every cycle. They also counsel couples through costs, success chances and emotional strain. A good IVF specialist picks the simplest treatment that can work, keeps hyperstimulation rare and documents consent carefully.
Key responsibilities
- Evaluate infertile couples with history, examination, hormone tests, ovarian reserve scans, tubal tests and semen analysis.
- Choose the treatment, from ovulation induction and IUI to IVF, ICSI or frozen embryo transfer, and explain the reasoning to the couple.
- Design ovarian stimulation protocols and monitor follicles with serial ultrasound and hormone tests, adjusting doses as the cycle progresses.
- Perform ultrasound-guided egg retrieval, embryo transfer and IUI procedures at the centre.
- Agree fertilisation method, embryo grading, freezing and the number of embryos to transfer with the embryologist.
- Prevent and manage ovarian hyperstimulation, including cancelling the cycle or freezing all embryos when the risk is high.
- Counsel couples on success chances, costs, number of attempts and options such as donor gametes, with written consent for each step.
- Keep cycle records, consent forms and embryo and gamete records complete for audits and inspections.
- Perform or arrange diagnostic hysteroscopy and laparoscopy when the fertility work-up needs them.
- Follow early pregnancies after treatment up to the heartbeat scan, then hand over to the obstetrician with a summary.
Requirements
- MS, MD or DNB in Obstetrics and Gynaecology
- FNB or fellowship in Reproductive Medicine, or structured training in assisted reproduction
- Valid registration with the National Medical Commission or a State Medical Council
- 3 to 8 years in reproductive medicine, with independent egg retrievals and transfers
KRAs and KPIs for a IVF Specialist
Key result areas for the appraisal form, each with a KPI you can measure every month or quarter.
| Key result area | How to measure it |
|---|---|
| Clinical pregnancy rate | Clinical pregnancy rate per embryo transfer within the centre's target band, reviewed by age group each quarter |
| Hyperstimulation safety | Severe ovarian hyperstimulation below 1 percent of stimulation cycles |
| Consent and records | Signed consents and complete cycle records for 100 percent of cycles on audit |
| Multiple pregnancy | Twin pregnancy rate after IVF within the centre target, using single embryo transfer where suitable |
| Patient experience | Couple feedback at or above 4.5 out of 5, with every complaint answered within 3 days |
| Cycle volume | IUI and IVF cycles started at or above the monthly centre plan |
Skills and tools
Tools used day to day: Transvaginal ultrasound machine, Ovum pick-up set and suction pump, Embryo transfer catheters, IVF cycle management software, Hormone assay reports, Hysteroscope.
Reporting line and career path
Next roles: Medical Director, Head of Department (Clinical)
Interview questions for a IVF Specialist
- A 38-year-old with low AMH wants to go straight to IVF. How do you counsel her?
- How do you decide how many embryos to transfer?
- Walk me through a cycle where you suspected severe hyperstimulation. What did you do?
- A couple has failed three IVF cycles elsewhere. What would you review before a fourth?
- How do you discuss costs and success rates without giving false hope?
- Which records and consents do you check before every egg retrieval?
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What does an IVF specialist do?
An IVF specialist finds out why a couple cannot conceive and plans treatment such as ovulation induction, IUI, IVF or ICSI. They run hormone stimulation, monitor eggs by ultrasound, perform egg retrieval and embryo transfer with the embryologist, and counsel couples on chances, costs and options.
What is the difference between an IVF specialist and an embryologist?
The IVF specialist is a doctor who treats the patient: diagnosis, hormone stimulation, egg retrieval and embryo transfer. The embryologist is a laboratory scientist who handles eggs, sperm and embryos, performs fertilisation and ICSI, grows and grades embryos and freezes them. Every IVF cycle needs both working together.
How do you become an IVF specialist in India?
Most IVF specialists first complete an MS, MD or DNB in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, then train in reproductive medicine through an FNB, a fellowship or a structured course at an established IVF centre. Supervised experience of egg retrievals and embryo transfers is essential before independent practice.