What happens after embryo transfer?
So you have completed your lining test appointment and the embryo transfer at your IPs IVF clinic. What’s next?
Remember to keep taking your IVF medications!
Replacement IVF/drugs cycling starts about 2-4 weeks before embryo transfer, but can continue for up to 15 weeks in total. Sometimes drugs must be taken in the first trimester! Each IVF clinic will have a different protocol, so make sure you know when and how long to continue the medications.
Should I take a home pregnancy test?
It totally depends on your intended parents and yourself. Note that your parents may want to wait for official bloodwork appointments at your local monitoring center because that test is more accurate than home pregnancy tests. The 10-day wait or more after your embryo transfer before your first blood work appointment can be really exciting and challenging! Take a deep breath and remember that surrogacy is totally worth the wait!
What appointments will happen after the embryo transfer?
Beta hCG Pregnancy Bloodwork Appointment
- The 1st beta hCG appointment is usually a week and a few days after your transfer. Any positive number is a good sign, but generally, 300 and above is considered pregnant with CFC.
- The 2nd beta hCG appointment is usually two days after the first appointment. We hope to see increasing numbers at this appointment.
- The 3rd hCG appointment depends on your IVF clinic. Some will have a 3rd, while others will not. This is also usually two days after your 2nd appointment.
Early Ultrasound Appointment
- Your first ultrasound appointment, either at your local monitoring center or OBGYN’s office, is approximately 1 month after embryo transfer. This is usually at 6 or 7 weeks, and this is the heartbeat confirmation ultrasound! The results from this ultrasound will be sent to the IVF clinic as they are still monitoring your care at this point. Sometimes your intended parents may want to come in person or video chat for this appointment depending on office policies.
- A second ultrasound appointment is not always required by the IVF clinic. If there is good news from the first heartbeat ultrasound, the IVF clinic will likely discharge you to your OBGYN for continued care for the rest of your journey!
An Example of Actual Post-Transfer Appointment Dates
- 2/27/23 – Lining check before transfer
- 3/06/23 – Embryo transfer
- 3/15/23 – #1 Beta hCG
- 3/17/23 – #2 Beta hCG
- 3/31/23 – #1 ultrasound
- 3/31/23 – Surrogate released from IVF clinic to their OBGYN
What about the sad news after these appointments? 🙁
For hCG appointments, if the HcG numbers start to drop or are very low and do not rise at the next appointment, it is possible that the embryo was not picked up after transfer. Beta numbers may look good, but the first or second ultrasound may come with sad news. It can feel anywhere from frustrating to devastating, which is completely understandable. Of course, everyone wants good news for you and your IPs. Try to remember that you probably didn’t do anything to cause the embryo not to be retrieved or an early ultrasound to not confirm a heartbeat. IVF technology has really come a long way in the past decades, but embryo transfers are still far from 100% with success rates.
Lean on your support system of friends, family, us CFC Surrogate Support Facebook group, and your journey coordinator to discuss the emotions of failed transfers. If you feel like you need additional support, please know that you can always talk to us. Many of our journey coordinators and current or past alternates have been through these exact bumps in the road and can offer a listening ear or genuine advice for next steps.
Have a question for our team?
Feel free to email your journey coordinator, IVF clinic coordinator, or our recruiting team if you have a question!
Apply to be a surrogate today
