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Bed rest after embryo transfer
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Bed rest after embryo transfer

  1. Cloe
    Cloe

    Dear Moderator,

    I got back 2 grade-1 and 1 grade-2 embryos on 5th March. So I am 2 DPT and need to have bed rest as per my doctor. Can you help me understand this bed rest sort of thing after ET? Is it like lying horizontally all the time or just refraining from extensive activities? I hope to keep in touch and have continue help from your side during this 2WW.

    Thanks and regards

    03/06/2016 at 8:47 pm
    Reply
  2. Dear Hira,

    in general, women do not need to do any bed rest and/or time off work after an IVF embryo transfer. However, if your doctor determined it necessary, then you have to ALWAYS follow your doctor’s directions.

    Usually, it consists of a series of activity restrictions such as limiting physical activity. This is especially important on the day the embryo transfer is carried out, but it’s not so strict during the following days. Anyhow, it does not mean total bed rest (in your own words “lying horizontally all the time”), but just being relaxed, doing relaxing activities such as reading, watching the TV or videos, etc.

    Normal activity such as working, walking around… is allowed from the morning after the embryo transfer. However, heavy bouncing of the uterus is restricted, at least until the pregnancy test due date (once the 2WW is finished). In this sense, sports like heavy weight lifting, water skiing, jogging or sexual intercourse entailing the uterus bouncing around are not a good idea until after the pregnancy test. Once pregnant, unless it is a case of high risk pregnancy or similar, you should be okay to start with all that again.

    Likewise, couples who have traveled to a foreign country to carry out the IVF process are not advised to fly out on the day of the transfer, but at least the next day. If you are driving back home, then it is acceptable after 1 hour of bed rest at the clinic, regardless of how long the drive is.

    Anyhow, these are general guidelines and my advice is that you ask your doctor for specific instructions, as he is the one monitoring your case carefully and he knows what’s the best for you to succeed. Ask him if you are at risk of having a miscarriage or prone to have it.

    I hope I have been able to help,

    Regards

    03/07/2016 at 11:53 am
    Reply
    • Dear Sandra…

      Thanks for your reply… I am now at 7dpt and feel a lot of cramps, sore boobs, headache, bloating, etc. Can these be the symptoms of pregnancy? Or it’s just because of medications? Also what is the maximum time after the ET for the embryo to get implanted? And when should I have the implantation spotting, if I should have it…

      Also, there is a strong feeling that I am gonna have my periods, is it possible?

      03/11/2016 at 1:52 pm
      Reply
    • Hello again Hira,

      given that you are now on day 10 post embryo transfer, the symptoms you are feeling could be due either to medications or because of embryo implantation, the latter meaning that pregnancy has taken place. However, you are still on the two-week wait, so we won’t be sure until day 15 post embryo transfer.

      Unless it was a blastocyst embryo transfer, you won’t get an accurate result until day 15 (if you take a pregnancy test now, you may get a false negative result because your hCG levels may not be high enough yet). However, if it was a blastocyst, then you could get accurate results from today on.

      I hope I have been able to help,

      I wish you the best of luck

      03/14/2016 at 8:54 am
      Reply
    • Dear Sandra,

      It was a day-3 ICSI embryo transfer… I am not sure whether it was blastocyst or not…
      Today all of a sudden my feelings of coming periods became strong… Feeling was there from the day one but it just increased. I am nervous that may be my periods are coming in real. Planning to have a pregnancy test today… kindly guide me!!!

      My regular period due date is 21st March.

      03/14/2016 at 10:49 am
      Reply
    • Hello Hira,

      a blastocyst is an embryo that has been left to develop till day 5 or 6 or embryo development. Thus, it presents a complex cellular structure formed by approximately 200 cells.

      In your case, if it was a day-3 embryo transfer, then your embryo wasn’t a blastocyst. In your case, you can get accurate result if you take a pregnancy test from day 12 post embryo transfer onwards. Given that your ET was on 5th March, you will be able to get an accurate result on 17th March. If you take a pregnancy test today, maybe you get a false negative result, so my advice is that you try to be patient for just three more days and then take your beta test 🙂

      03/14/2016 at 12:02 pm
      Reply
    • Hi Sandra,

      Thanks a lot for being with everyone in this tough 2WW time…

      I will do as you told and will go for a test on 17th… But if it’s a negative one, can it still be a false negative since we were normally told to have test on 15dpt that will be 19th march? Anyways I will do hCG on 17th March.

      Also if heavy bleeding starts today or tomorrow before test, should I conclude at my own that the cycle has failed or still I should appear for the test?

      That’s my first IVF cycle hope you understand my anxiety… Thanks.

      03/14/2016 at 2:26 pm
      Reply
    • If your doctor told you to do the pregnancy test on March, 19, then you should always follow your doctor’s directions. Anyway, around days 17-19th March you may get accurate results. So I am afraid the answer is yes: if by that time you get a negative result, it would mean the treatment have been unsuccessful.

      I wish you the best!

      03/14/2016 at 3:16 pm
      Reply
  3. Hey Sandra,

    Hope you are doing well.

    Today I have done my BhCG test and it is positive… I am so happy I can’t express my feelings in words!! Thanks a lot for being there for us through this tough time, especially 2ww. My BhCG value came out to be 492.2 and doctor told me to have another test on Saturday…

    Can you refer me some BhCG reference chart about what values are considered good and what should be the minimum one on Saturday, i.e after 48 hours? Also, can I expect twins with such a value???

    03/17/2016 at 6:38 pm
    Reply
    • Hello again Hira,

      first of all… Congrats!! I am very happy for you.

      even though a beta-hCG value of 492.2 is a high one and may indicate a twin pregnancy, it is not so high as to be sure that you are carrying twins. It is from values above 1000 when chances of having a twin pregnancy are higher.

      Anyhow, you’ll clear your doubts after your first ultrasound scan. Hope you share your results with us 🙂

      Kind regards

      03/18/2016 at 8:47 am
      Reply
    • Hey Sandra,

      I had another hCG test today and value came out to be 949.9. Is that good enough? What can you say about it keeping in mind that previous one was 492.2 and gap between two tests was 46 hours?

      03/19/2016 at 8:22 pm
      Reply
  4. Hi Sandra, good day. My doc told me hCG values are quite satisfactory but they devised me an U/S after one week… Isn’t that too early?

    03/21/2016 at 8:30 am
    Reply
  5. Hello Hira,

    949.9 indicates that your hCG levels are increasing gradually, which is an indicator that your pregnancy is developing as it should. As for the ultrasound scan, following your doctor’s instructions is the most important thing now, so if he/she considers that your first U/S should be done after one week, then that it the best for your own health.

    Regards

    03/21/2016 at 4:15 pm
    Reply
  6. Hey Sandra,

    I went in for U/S and the report indicates size of a single pregnancy sac to be 8.8 mm but thing that worries me is there is no cardiac activity detected. I am so so sad and cried a lot over the past night.

    Can you kindly tell me is it normal to have such a result at this stage as my 6th week is still not over (Ovum Pick-up Date was 02nd March and E.T done on 05th March)?

    Also what I did yesterday was abdominal U/S and now doctor is saying abdominal one sometimes can’t detect heart beat at this stage and to have vaginal U/S. Is that right? Also most important of all is that I heard vaginal U/S is dangerous for early pregnancy and may cause miscarriage… Is it just a myth?

    03/29/2016 at 3:39 pm
    Reply
  7. Hey Sandra,
    Got the first heart beat 🙂 I’m so happy… Rush of feelings… 124 beats/min. Let’s see what the future brings but right now it’s a perfect normal pregnancy… I think you got busy these days a bit. Keep in touch!

    04/07/2016 at 9:08 pm
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    • Congrats, Hira! I’m so happy for you! Hope you can share how your pregnancy develops! Wishing you the best! 🙂

      04/08/2016 at 8:46 am
      Reply
  8. Hi Sandra! How is life? Hope you are doing well…

    Just went through u/s earlier today and doc told me I am 10 weeks + 4 days pregnant and baby is growing perfectly… That leaves me with approx. 10 days before I finish this cautious first trimester… But a bad thing was which drove me to hospital today before Saturday appointment. Early afternoon I started having slight brown discharge… just a small spot. Sonologist told me it’s a blood clot in uterus near to pregnancy sac and it’s norm, no need to worry… Do I need to worry? Kindly reply as I am still crying since I got the spotting…

    05/04/2016 at 7:37 pm
    Reply
    • Hello Hira,

      First of all, do not worry. As your doctor said, it is totally normal to have a slight bleeding during the first trimester of pregnancy, as long as it is a mild, brown/pinkish discharge there’s no reason to be concerned. The most important thing to pay attention to is that it only happens exceptionally and it’s not an active bleeding.

      Hope this helps,

      Regards

      05/05/2016 at 10:19 am
      Reply
  9. Thanks Sandra, I will keep you posted… I have to visit my doctor after two weeks. Also dear I wanna change my display name, can you help and guide me for that?

    05/05/2016 at 11:45 pm
    Reply
  10. Hello Cloe,

    I see you’ve already changed your display name, but in case anybody else needs it, here are the steps to follow:

    1) Enter your profile
    2) Click on “Edit”
    3) There you will see a range of options, including editing your profile name
    4) Save changes

    That’s it, wishing you the best!

    05/06/2016 at 8:23 am
    Reply
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