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Why do I have to wait 2 weeks to do a pregnancy test ?

The embryos take time to implant and if they are going to implant, they will and there's precious little you can do to influence the inefficient biological process of embryo implantation either way.

Most patients find that one of the most difficult things to manage during an IVF cycle is the dreaded 2 week wait ( 2ww) after the embryo transfer. Time seems to come to a halt and you live in a state of suspended animation - a bit like Schroedinger's cat ! Am I pregnant ? Am I not pregnant ? Every ache and twinge sends you scurrying to the bathroom to check if your periods have started - and you over-interpret every signal your body sends you. Am I feeling nauseous ? Is this a good sign ? Do my breasts feel fuller than usual ? Is this just PMS ? You try to prevent your mind from playing games with you, but this is surprisingly hard to do. Every hour seems to stretch on like a day ! You obsessively compare notes with all your online IVF friends - and drive your husband batty with your interpretations and wild imaginings ! Every time he drives the car through a pot-hole, you go bonkers with the anxiety that the jolt has jarred your embryos out of their safe uterine haven and caused them to fall out !

Why do I have to wait 12 days after the embryo transfer to do a pregnancy test ? Can't I do it earlier ? After all, if I am pregnant, won't the test show this ? Aren't the new pregnancy tests very sensitive ? Aren't they supposed to show a positive result even before the period is missed ?

You cheat and start doing pregnancy tests anyways - how can it hurt ? And every time it's negative, you still hope against hope ! Maybe I did it too early ? Maybe I didn't read it properly ? Maybe it will show up as positive if I wait another 2 days ? How can God be so unfair ? After all the shots I have taken and the pain I have suffered, I am sure he will not let me down and will give me my baby !

Remember that your embryos are safe in your uterus and that nothing you do can harm them ! If they are going to implant, they will and there's precious little you can do to influence the inefficient biological process of embryo implantation either way.

Continue taking all your medicines; leading a normal life; and please remember the Serenity Prayer.

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change;
the courage to change the things I can;
and the wisdom to know the difference.

Authored by : Dr Aniruddha Malpani, MD and reviewed by Dr Anjali Malpani.