We advise you to lead as normal a life as possible after the transfer without doing anything too strenuous. There is no need to abstain from sexual activity after the embryo transfer. There is nothing more you can do at this stage to help the embryos to implant. Please don’t hesitate to telephone the Centre if you have any problems. Remember that we are here to support you throughout your treatment.
Embryo freezing
Find out more about embryo freezingPregnancy test
After the embryo transfer, we will give you a date to do a home pregnancy test. If the pregnancy test is positive, we will arrange a scan in 3 weeks to ensure that the pregnancy is continuing. You do not need to continue to use your pessaries
If the pregnancy test is negative, you should stop all the medications. Your period should start within a few days. We will arrange an appointment for you to discuss your future options.
Pregnancy scan
We will offer to do a pregnancy scan about 3 weeks after a positive pregnancy test. On occasions, we may arrange a slightly earlier scan.
A vaginal scan will be undertaken and we would expect to see a growing pregnancy with a small fetus and evidence of fetal heart activity. We are able to diagnose a multiple pregnancy at this scan also.
Unfortunately, sometimes we pick up pregnancies that have not grown to this stage, which may be miscarriages waiting to happen or may not even be visible on ultrasound scan. In those cases, we need time sometimes to confirm a diagnosis, including occasionally of an ectopic pregnancy (one which is growing outside the womb).
This further assessment may require more scans and blood tests and sometimes, specific treatment. This will be discussed with you on an individual basis but because of this possibility we would advise that you make no firm plans to be away from home until we have had the opportunity to confirm that all is well with your pregnancy or undertake any necessary treatment if not. This can be a very anxiety provoking appointment. However, you can bring someone with you. If you do attend alone, our staff will explain everything that they see and instructions on what to do next.
Will the baby be normal?
This is a question that all parents ask during a pregnancy. If you conceive naturally, there will be a 3-5% chance of having a baby with congenital abnormality. This increases to 4-7% if you have a baby after IVF/ICSI but the absolute risk still remains low.
Many babies have now been born after being conceived by ICSI and there is no conclusive evidence that they have a higher rate of abnormality than IVF children.
The oldest individuals conceived by IVF or ICSI are not yet into middle age so there will still be ongoing studies that you may hear about in the future.
What do we do if treatment fails?
You will be sent an appointment to come back to the clinic to see a nurse or doctor to review your treatment. Unfortunately, most treatment cycles will not be successful in achieving a pregnancy. The estimated success rate is discussed in detail prior to the start of treatment. We are aware of the great disappointment you may feel if your treatment fails.
People cope with this in different ways. If you wish to talk to us, please phone at any time and we would be happy to see you. A counselling service is available if necessary.
If you wish to know more about our research, we would be happy to discuss this with you when you come to the clinic.
Contact
If you have any questions or concerns throughout your treatment, you can email the fertility nurses.
We do our best to answer your call as soon as possible, but we are a very busy service, so we may not always have someone available to speak with you immediately. If the line is engaged, please try again later or use the nurse email address above. The telephone line is often quieter in the afternoon.
Outside of these hours, there is an on-call doctor available to speak to in emergencies only on 0191 256 8240. The on-call doctor is not able to change clinic appointments or to answer general queries that are not urgent. These types of calls must be made during clinic opening hours.
For more urgent queries, our telephone line is open 8am to 4.30pm Monday to Friday
Patient feedback
We welcome your opinions and feedback on areas you feel have gone well or suggestions you may have to help us improve our service.
If you have any problems during your treatment or are unhappy with the care you are receiving please contact the Senior Sister (Stacey Turnbull) on 0191 213 8213.
Fertility treatment is sometimes upsetting and frustrating particularly when things do not go quite to plan or you do not get the outcome you had hoped for. Sometimes having a chat with us will help relieve some of the tension and frustrations you may be feeling. We are always willing to listen.
