After a successful IVF Treatment, the joy of the couple and the infertility specialist is something that is often the most momentous part of the IVF Journey. However, even after a successful In Vitro Fertilisation Treatment, the couple is often worried about the pregnancy. Despite seeing two lines on the pregnancy test and confirming the pregnancy via a blood pregnancy test at the doctor’s clinic, the couple may have several questions. This is because people who have struggled with infertility want to ensure that their IVF Treatment in which they have invested financially, physically, and emotionally should be successful so that they can begin their journey to parenthood.
Though like natural pregnancy, IVF pregnancy too requires some extra care and following precautions, you must try and enjoy the journey to parenthood instead of worrying constantly about the growing baby. Researching topics such as Pregnancy after IVF Week By Week, Precautions After IVF Pregnancy, Is IVF Safe, How to Calculate Pregnancy Weeks After IVF, and After IVF Pregnancy Symptoms may be occupying your time. In this blog post, we would try and answer these common questions that couples have after their IVF Treatment.
After How Many Weeks IVF Pregnancy is Safe
Any pregnancy – natural or through assisted reproductive technology such as IVF and IUI is vulnerable during the first few weeks. In IVF pregnancies, you are constantly being monitored before and immediately after pregnancy by your infertility doctor, making it a very safe and secure environment. In IVF pregnancy your doctor would tell you about what to expect symptomatically, precautions to follow, and how to stay at optimal physical and mental health.
Your doctor would also monitor your hCG levels (Human Chorionic Gonadotropin levels) after a positive pregnancy test as they would rise steadily in the first few weeks. This is a hormone produced during pregnancy. The doctor would also do ultrasounds in the coming weeks to visualise the “gestational sac” in the uterus, which would indicate the pregnancy is going well. Your infertility doctor and an obstetrician and gynaecologist would frequently monitor the pregnancy and ask you to report if you notice any unusual symptoms as the pregnancy progresses. After the first trimester or 12 weeks of pregnancy, you would be monitored by an obstetrician and gynaecologist.
Pregnancy after IVF Week by Week
In the first 12 weeks or 1st Trimester of pregnancy, you would be required to take medicines to ensure that your hormonal levels are optimal to sustain a healthy pregnancy. Along with medications, your doctor may also prescribe supplements such as Folic acid, Iron, and Calcium.
How often you need to go to your doctor for prenatal checkups would be determined by your doctor. Pregnant mothers who are older, have a predisposition to certain conditions or may require extensive monitoring of pregnancy may have to go for more frequent prenatal checkups. It’s important to adhere strictly to these checkups and discuss them with your obstetrician and gynaecologist.
Week by week the baby develops to form complex and sophisticated organ systems. The mother is required to take nutrient-dense meals, have an active lifestyle, and do calming activities such as deep breathing exercises and prenatal yoga. Always consult your doctor before trying a new diet plan or exercise. Never take any medication on your own, as medicines can impact the baby and the mother.
Precautions after IVF Pregnancy
A couple who has conceived through IVF has had a very demanding journey to a positive pregnancy test. This is the reason many couples are highly cautious about their pregnancy, and sometimes spend hours researching the dos and don’ts of IVF pregnancies. However, it is recommended that you simply follow the advice of the fertility doctor, and try to de-stress and relax so that the emotional health of the couple can have a healthy impact on the pregnancy.
Here are a few precautions after IVF Pregnancy that you need to follow –
- Take medications as prescribed by your doctor – Never alter your medications or change medications on your own.
- Don’t follow a sedentary lifestyle – Some people think they need to rest more after IVF pregnancy. If your doctor has allowed you to have an active lifestyle, you can go for slow walks and do day-to-day activities. At the same time, avoid strenuous activity and never overwork yourself.
- Do safe exercises after consulting your doctor – Ask your doctor if you can do breathing exercises and beginner prenatal yoga as it can help improve your mental health and keep you active throughout the pregnancy. If you experience any discomfort, immediately stop the activity and consult the doctor.
- Have a healthy diet, habits, and lifestyle – Eat nutrient-dense meals, avoid processed and junk foods, reduce caffeine intake, don’t consume alcohol, quit smoking cigarettes, and have healthy habits. If you conceived through IVF, your doctor might already have made these changes a part of your lifestyle and you must continue to follow it.
- Report any unusual symptoms during pregnancy to your doctor – If you experience bleeding, spotting, cramping, or burning and stinging while urinating you must consult your doctor. Any unusual discharge or pain must be brought to the attention of your obstetrician and gynaecologist immediately as it could be due to a complication or infection.
These are the basic precautions you must follow. Along with these, your doctor might instruct you to make certain changes and watch out for certain symptoms. It’s advisable to avoid stressing over precautions and spend countless hours researching them as it can impact your mental health negatively. Instead, follow the doctor’s advice and consult them if you have any doubts. A doctor would be able to explain to you everything you require to be careful about and how to avoid taking constant stress about your IVF pregnancy. It’s very important to enjoy your journey to parenthood as you overcame numerous hurdles to achieve this moment when you are embarking on the journey of pregnancy.
Is IVF Safe?
IVF treatment has undergone massive improvements over the last decades. Advancement in expertise, techniques, technologies, and equipment has led to improved success rates for IVF Treatment. This procedure involves the collaboration of multiple experts – including an infertility specialist, embryologist, anaesthesiologist, and a medical team. Experts in these fields have gone through rigorous training, education for years, and specialised fellowships to become trained to perform these treatments.
If you get your IVF treatment done from a clinic that has expert staff, state-of-the-art technology, advanced equipment, and a patient-centric approach the success rates of IVF can be improved.
However, as with any medical treatment, IVF Treatment may pose a risk of complications and side effects in some candidates.
Reaction to medications, Multiple births in one IVF cycle, risk of miscarriage, birth complications, birth defects, ectopic pregnancies, and complications to the pregnant mother may occur in some IVF treatments. However, a clinic that has years of experience would ensure that they are transparent about expected outcomes from the treatment, inform you about the risks, and recommend other methods if IVF is not suitable for you.
In addition to this, IVF clinics that have doctors with years of experience can minimise the risks of complications by incorporating different treatment options along with IVF treatment, regular monitoring, and expert intervention. This makes choosing an IVF clinic with high success rates, credible and trustworthy staff, and expert doctors an absolute must when considering infertility treatment.
How to Calculate Pregnancy Weeks after IVF
A pregnancy is usually for 40 weeks or 280 days. Your due date after IVF can be roughly estimated so that you can have an idea about when are you likely to deliver the baby.
To know your due date after IVF, add 266 days to the egg retrieval date.
This is a generic formula and may need to be changed if you had a frozen embryo transfer.
After IVF Pregnancy Symptoms
After your IVF Treatment, you may have some symptoms which could indicate pregnancy.
These include –
- Bleeding or spotting
- Cramping
- Bloating
- Headaches
- Increased urge to urinate
- Increased vaginal discharge
Some people may experience no noticeable symptoms despite a successful IVF treatment. The gold standard for confirming a pregnancy is a blood pregnancy test at the doctor’s clinic. Testing for pregnancy after IVF treatment is recommended after 2 weeks. Ensure you keep yourself focused on optimistic thoughts and do activities you enjoy so that you don’t keep stressing about the pregnancy test results as you wait for 2 weeks. It’s important to keep your mental health optimal, so indulge in hobbies, read, and practice meditation to help you stay calm and relaxed. If you notice any symptoms such as severe pain, unusual discharge, uneasiness, or discomfort consult your infertility doctor immediately.
Start your Pregnancy Journey with Grace Fertility
Grace Fertility is a renowned and trusted IVF clinic in Gurgaon and Jammu and has helped thousands of couples achieve their dream of parenthood. Dr. Reubina, the founding MD believes in providing accessible, affordable, and judgement-free treatment to all. Her team of experts believes in transparency, ethics, and honesty which has earned Grace Fertility the trust of thousands of patients. Patients are treated with a customised plan as a one-size-fits-all approach isn’t apt for infertility treatments. The high success rates and trust of patients are the hallmarks of Grace Fertility’s impact on the lives of their patients and the credibility of their clinics. The first consultation is free. Begin your journey to parenthood with Grace Fertility.
