What should you know about embryo transfer?

During the procedure, a clinician guides a thin catheter through the cervix and releases the embryo into the uterus. A speculum is usually used so the cervix can be seen. The transfer itself is generally brief, although the appointment also includes preparation and recovery time.

The embryo may come from the same treatment cycle or from an embryo that was frozen and later thawed. Your fertility team chooses the timing and preparation based on the uterine lining, embryo plan, and your medical history. Embryo transfer is one stage of IVF; it is not the same as fertilisation, which has already occurred in the laboratory.

Follow the clinic's instructions about medicines, arrival time, bladder preparation, and whether you need someone to accompany you. Take prescribed progesterone support exactly as directed; do not stop it because of mild spotting or cramps unless your fertility team tells you to.

Afterward, gentle everyday activity is usually reasonable, but follow any personalised restrictions from your clinic. Avoid changing medicines, starting supplements, or taking pain relief without checking that it fits your treatment. Keep the scheduled pregnancy test, because symptoms alone cannot confirm whether implantation has occurred.

Contact your fertility clinic promptly for heavy bleeding, worsening or severe pelvic pain, fever, fainting, marked abdominal swelling, or shortness of breath. These symptoms can have causes unrelated to the transfer, but they need clinical assessment during fertility treatment.

Seek emergency help for severe breathing difficulty, collapse, or sudden intense pain. For light spotting or mild cramping, tell the clinic if it persists or worries you, and continue your prescribed treatment until the team gives different instructions.

Ask which embryo is planned for transfer, how your uterine lining was prepared, when to take each medicine, which symptoms should trigger a call, and exactly when and how the pregnancy test will be done.