Can symptoms tell me if my embryo transfer worked?

No. Cramping, bloating, spotting and sore breasts can come from the transfer or your medicines, and not everyone has every early pregnancy symptom. The blood test on the date your clinic gives you is the answer.

Do I need bed rest after embryo transfer?

No. ASRM's guideline does not recommend bed rest after embryo transfer. Ask your clinic which activities suit you, especially if you recently had egg retrieval.

Can I take a home pregnancy test after embryo transfer?

You can, but the result may be wrong. An injection containing hCG can make a home test positive, and testing too early can make it negative. Keep your clinic blood-test appointment and do not change your medicines based on a home result.

Should I stop progesterone if my home test is negative?

No. Keep taking your hormones until your clinic tells you to stop.

After embryo transfer: symptoms and tests

Q: When is the pregnancy test after embryo transfer?

Your clinic sets the date. The blood test is about 9 to 14 days after the transfer, and the exact timing varies by clinic.

After an embryo transfer, it is easy to notice every cramp, or to worry because you feel nothing. How you feel cannot reliably tell you whether the transfer worked. What matters now is taking your medicines as prescribed and going to the pregnancy test on the date your clinic gives you.

If something feels wrong, the warning signs are further down. Your clinic's instructions come first wherever they differ from this page.

Do symptoms mean it worked?

Mild bloating, cramping, spotting, constipation and breast tenderness are common after a transfer. The breast tenderness can come from high estrogen levels. Progesterone, if it is part of your plan, can also cause breast tenderness, belly pain, tiredness and mood swings. So feeling these things does not show that you are pregnant.

Feeling nothing does not show that the transfer failed, either. Early pregnancy symptoms usually start around 4 to 6 weeks of pregnancy, and not everyone has all of them.

Your clinic uses a blood test to find out whether you are pregnant.

What to do after embryo transfer

Take your medicines exactly as prescribed. Keep using progesterone and any estradiol until your clinic tells you to stop. When you stop depends on your treatment plan, and only your clinic can tell you that date.

You do not need bed rest. ASRM's guideline on embryo transfer says there is good evidence not to recommend bed rest afterward. You should be able to get back to your normal activities. Even so, ask your clinic which activities suit you, especially if you recently had egg retrieval, because your ovaries may still be enlarged.

Check your supply. Count how much medicine you have left, so you do not run out before the test or over a weekend.

The beta hCG blood test

hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) is a hormone made by the placenta in pregnancy. A beta hCG test is a blood test that measures the exact amount of hCG in your blood.

The blood test is about 9 to 14 days after the transfer, and the exact timing varies by clinic. Your clinic will tell you the day and how you will get the result.

Can I take a home pregnancy test?

You can, but a home test during IVF can mislead you in two ways:

A positive when you are not pregnant. Home tests look for hCG. Some IVF plans use an injection that contains hCG, for example to help you ovulate before retrieval. The label for one such medicine says it may interfere with reading a pregnancy test.
A negative when you are pregnant. If you test too early, your body may not have made enough hCG to show up yet.

If you test at home, keep your clinic blood-test appointment and do not change your medicines based on the home result.

If your blood test is positive

A positive result is the start of a few more checks. Your clinic may repeat the blood test a few days later to see whether the hCG level rises. How the number changes matters more than any one number.

Later, an ultrasound shows where the pregnancy is developing. That matters because one hCG result cannot show whether the pregnancy is in the uterus or whether it is progressing. You may need more than one blood test and scan. Your clinic will tell you which medicines to keep taking and for how long.

If your blood test is negative

The news can be very hard. Your clinic will explain what to do with your medicines and when you can talk about next steps. Do not stop anything until they tell you to.

Getting through the wait

IVF can be hard on your body and your feelings, and many people going through it struggle with anxiety or depression. Talking with your care team about how you feel lets them offer support.

A few choices can make test day easier. Decide them ahead of time:

Where you will hear the result. At home, at work, or somewhere private.
Who will be with you. A partner, a friend, or no one.
How you will handle questions. You do not owe anyone an update. A simple message works: "We'll share news when we're ready. Please let us contact you after the test."

Keeping notes

You do not need to check yourself for pregnancy clues. Instead, write down only the symptoms you want to ask your clinic about, like cramps or sore breasts that worry you. Note when each started, so your nurse gets a clear picture. Bleeding, a fever or pain that gets worse are different: call your clinic right away.

When to get help

Two problems explain many of these signs. OHSS (ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome) is when the ovaries overreact to fertility medicines, and a pregnancy can make it worse or make it last longer. A pregnancy outside the uterus (ectopic pregnancy) most often grows in a fallopian tube. IVF is one of the things that may raise the risk. If the tube bursts, it can cause life-threatening bleeding.

Call your clinic right away, day or night, if you have:

A fever of 100.4°F (38°C) or higher.
Bleeding from your vagina, or a brown, watery discharge. Light spotting can happen after a transfer. Still, let your clinic decide what it means.
Belly or pelvic pain that is severe, gets worse, or isn't eased by the pain relief your clinic recommended.
Pain and bloating in your belly, or bloating that is getting worse.
Nausea and vomiting, nausea that won't go away, or you can't keep fluids down.
Peeing less than usual, even if you are not thirsty.
Fast weight gain. Your clinic will tell you its number, but do not wait to reach a weight threshold if you feel unwell.
Pain, redness or warmth in an arm or leg.
Blood in your urine, or pain when you pee or poop.

Tell your clinic at your next contact about other milder symptoms that are new, don't go away or slowly get worse. If you are not sure which group a symptom fits, call your clinic and say what you feel.

Questions to ask before you leave the clinic

What day is my blood test, and where do I go?
How and when will I get the result?
Which medicines do I keep taking, and until when?
Which activities, and when sex, are OK for me?
What should I do if I start bleeding before the test?
What number do I call after hours?

Key takeaway

Three things matter during the wait. Take your medicines as prescribed until your clinic says to stop. Go to the blood test on the date you are given. And know the warning signs, so you can call your clinic or 911 when you need to.

To plan what comes next, see the full IVF cycle timeline or read about a frozen embryo transfer. For the procedure itself, see embryo transfer day.

After embryo transfer: symptoms, medicines and the pregnancy test