At Thérapie Fertility, we understand that the day of your Embryo Transfer can be both exciting and nerve-wracking. Our team are here to help every step of the way, and we will do everything we can to ensure you have a comfortable and positive experience on the day. 

What is an Embryo Transfer? 

The embryo transfer is a simple theatre procedure where an embryo is placed back into the uterus by the doctor by way of a small catheter inserted through the cervix. The fluid containing the embryo is pushed through the cervix and into the uterus. 

The correct positioning of the embryo is confirmed by an abdominal ultrasound, so you are required to have a comfortably full bladder for the procedure. 

What happens on the day? 

When you come into the clinic on the day of your embryo transfer, you'll check in with our reception staff, who will show you to the pod area where you can wait for one of the nurses, who will come down to collect you and bring you down to the recovery area. We ask our patients to have a comfortably full bladder, which means that you haven't just gone to the loo, but you're also not bursting as well. 

  One of the nurses will bring you to the recovery area and we'll ask you to take everything from the bottom half off. We encourage patients to wear a nice pair of socks, because you can keep them on, and we’ll give you a little hair net for your hair and shoe covers for over your feet. The gown opens along the back, but you can wear a vest or top underneath to keep you warm. When you're dressed up, one of the nurses will come in and go through some pre advice before going into the procedure area. They'll talk to you about continuing your medications, what to expect in the transfer and they will also book you in for your beta HCG blood test. 

What about the actual procedure? 

The embryo transfer is not a sedated procedure, so you'll be able to walk in and when the whole thing is done, you'll be able to go home right away. You will be able to drive or get public transport home if needed, but it is nice to bring somebody with you to escort you home.  

When we are ready for you, you'll be brought into for your embryo transfer. There will be either a nurse or healthcare assistant with you, one of the doctors and somebody from the lab will be present. We'll help you up into the little bed and then in a couple of minutes we'll be getting you to pop the legs up into the stirrups. 

Once the lab checks are done, to make sure we've brought in the right patient, right embryo, and all of those really important things, we will get going with the embryo transfer. It'll take probably about five minutes. During the procedure itself, you'll have a nurse or a healthcare assistant with you who, in the middle of the embryo transfer, will be scanning your tummy so that it helps the doctor guide the catheter into the top of the womb. 

  You'll be able to see everything going on via a TV on the wall and if you'd like to take a photo or video as well, just ask the team that are with you on the day. We will also usually take a little photo when we're doing the tummy scan, and we can upload that to your portal as well. The doctor will help get things prepped for the embryo transfer. They will do a small clean of the vaginal area before passing a small speculum which is very similar to having a smear test. 

  Once everything's ready to go, the doctor will pass a small transfer catheter in through the vaginal area. The embryologist will then pass through the embryo in a catheter. The doctor will then guide that little catheter through the other catheter that they're using. And once they're in the right place, the doctor will press the button on the end of the syringe and the embryo is transferred up into the top of the uterus. Once the catheter is removed, the lab will then check the catheter to make sure that the embryo is no longer in it and confirm the transfer has taken place. 

What to expect afterwards 

Once that's complete, the speculum will be removed, and you can get off the bed. A common question that people always ask is, is the embryo going to fall out as soon as I stand up? The answer is no! It is passed into the top of the womb, and it's not going to fall out. Some people naturally worry that it'll fall out but, you don't need to have the legs up in the air and there is no need to sit down or lie down in recovery for a half an hour afterwards. It is normal to have a little bit of spotting or a little bit of cramping sometime later that same day as well. 

Once the embryo transfer is complete and you're dressed, you're free to go. You can come back out to reception, check out, and the whole team here will be thinking of you and fingers crossed for a good outcome. 

We'll see you back here in about two weeks for your blood test. Best of luck! 

Book Your Free Consultation 

At Thérapie Fertility we are delighted to provide a free fertility nurse consultation with each patient at the start of their journey. This is a no strings attached consultation, which will give you all the information you need to decide whether you would like to proceed with testing or indeed treatment at Thérapie Fertility.  

For more information or to book your free fertility nurse consultation, please visit www.therapiefertility.com