Molly Rutt
PIPS Host Organisation: Complete Fertility in Southampton
Project Title: Laboratory and Administrative Support

A key part of Molly Rutt’s role at Complete Fertility was lab-based, involving observing, witnessing, and performing clinical data entry for procedures such as egg collection, oocyte fertilisation (IVF and ICSI), egg/embryo/sperm freezing and thawing, sample transport, and embryo transfers. Molly was taught to undertake a semen analysis clinic, including assessing sperm parameters such as concentration, motility, morphology, and anti-sperm antibody counts. She also assisted with surgical sperm retrievals in theatre and observed clinical procedures, including tracking or lining assessment ultrasound scans, doctor consultations, HyCoSy, and early pregnancy scans, even when the outcomes were not as hoped.

In terms of her future career, Molly feels better equipped with the knowledge of how a fertility clinic functions, including career progression, job roles, entry routes, and connections in the field. She hopes to stay in women’s health, either as a researcher or in a more clinical role, and this position has been vital in enhancing her understanding of the process of fertility treatment, including diagnoses, treatment approaches, and initial investigations needed.

Molly also shadowed patient interactions from the lab, admin, nurse, or doctor teams to better understand the nuances of difficult conversations, keeping patients positive but realistic, and discussing clinical matters clearly. This experience will be especially valuable in her PhD research, which involves recruiting women undergoing fertility investigations for clinical studies.