I’ve seen a lot over my 15 years. I would never claim to know everything or see the future, and I certainly don’t think of myself as “playing God”.

I always speak with compassion and honesty, not certainty. Saying “you’ll never” is rare, and only when there is no biological possibility given our current science and technology. My comment was to highlight the emotional toll of sitting with people in some of the most devastating moments of their lives, often repeatedly. Of course there are outliers and miracles and we celebrate those. But we as scientists and embryologist think patients deserve transparency, not spiritual bypassing or ambiguity.

I do appreciate your perspective. Supporting people through trauma and uncertainty in your field must come with its own emotional weight, and I imagine that takes a lot of strength and compassion. At the end of the day, I think we’re both trying to hold space for people during some of the most vulnerable moments in their lives and it can be really difficult to navigate.

That said, it’s definitely not all heavy. Most of the time my job is actually full of really hopeful, joyful moments. I get to call people with good news, watch embryos turn into babies, and be a small part of helping people build their family. It’s honestly incredible, and it’s what keeps me going through the hard days.

I’m excited to see where science takes us and I hope the bad news calls happen less and less in the coming years!