{"id":261495,"date":"2022-03-16T15:54:34","date_gmt":"2022-03-16T19:54:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.oviahealth.com\/?post_type=article&p=261495"},"modified":"2023-06-12T22:21:57","modified_gmt":"2023-06-13T02:21:57","slug":"positive-pregnancy-test-after-an-embryo-transfer","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/www.oviahealth.com\/guide\/261495\/positive-pregnancy-test-after-an-embryo-transfer\/","title":{"rendered":"Positive pregnancy test after an embryo transfer"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If you’ve just gotten a positive pregnancy test after your embryo transfer, congratulations! Here’s some more background<\/a> on what you can expect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

hCG level testing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

About 10 days after your transfer, your doctor will have you come in for a blood test to check your human chorionic gonadotropin (or hCG) levels. hCG levels rise when an embryo implants in the uterus and a blood test can typically detect the hormone before at-home urine pregnancy tests. hCG levels below 5 mIU\/mL are considered negative for pregnancy. Anything between 6-24 mIU\/mL is a gray area, which could indicate a biochemical pregnancy, a type of early pregnancy loss. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Research suggests that pregnancies with hCG levels that reach at least 100 mIU\/mL within 10 days of a five-day transfer or 12 days following a three-day transfer are the ones most likely to result in a successful pregnancy. Although high hCG levels are typically a more promising sign, rising hCG levels are more important than the initial number. Your fertility clinic will want to check your hCG levels every few days, and then weekly, to make sure the levels continue to double every 48 hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ultrasound<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You will have your first ultrasound when you are five weeks pregnant to confirm that there is a gestational sac \u2014 a fluid-filled body containing the embryo. Then, when you\u2019re six weeks pregnant, you\u2019ll return for another ultrasound, this time where you\u2019ll be able to hear the baby\u2019s heartbeat. Later, toward the end of your second trimester, you\u2019ll have a full anatomy scan, taking a detailed look at baby from head to toe. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Graduating from the fertility clinic <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Fertility clinics typically monitor IVF pregnancie<\/a>s up until weeks eight to ten of pregnancy. During this time, you will be prescribed progesterone suppositories or injections. Studies show that progesterone increases the pregnancy rate following IVF and helps decrease the risk of miscarriage. Once you graduate from your fertility clinic, you will see your obstetrician At a traditional schedule with several weeks between appointments. Though this can be nerve-racking, especially considering how closely your fertility clinic monitors you, it\u2019s the normal schedule of appointments. If you have a high-risk pregnancy due to a health condition or a history of pregnancy loss, you may have more frequent appointments. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It can be hard to feel calm after getting pregnant using IVF, even after you reach your second and third trimesters. Your road to parenthood might not look like what you expected, and that\u2019s OK. You worked hard for this pregnancy, so you deserve to enjoy it. If the fear of pregnancy loss feels all-encompassing, try opening up about these complicated feelings to a friend, trusted loved one, or mental health professional. It\u2019s important to take time to celebrate each milestone, no matter how small. The IVF process takes away some of the big firsts, like the randomness of a positive at-home pregnancy test, or, for some, being surprised by the sex of the baby, but that doesn\u2019t mean you can\u2019t make your own unique memories. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reviewed by the Ovia Health Clinical Team<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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