If a Cycle is Successful
If the patient does not get her period within 14 days of the embryo transfer she should visit A.F.S. for a blood pregnancy test. Although pregnancy testing may be done earlier, there may be more chance of a false negative especially if blood is drawn sooner than 10 days from the time of the embryo transfer.

Sonographic monitoring during early pregnancy is both medically necessary and psychologically beneficial. It provides crucial information about the early pregnancy. When the sonogram shows the presence of an intrauterine pregnancy with a fetal heart beat two to three weeks after a positive pregnancy test, the couple can be reassured that the pregnancy will end with the birth of a healthy baby at least 90 - 95% of the time.

Current data indicates that the probability of having an abnormal child or a problem pregnancy is about the same for IVF patients as it is for women who conceive naturally. There is no evidence that IVF is associated with an increased risk of fetal malformation, nor is there evidence that IVF patients experience more complicated pregnancies or deliveries than patients who conceive naturally.

There may be a slightly higher miscarriage rate in IVF pregnancies (30% miscarriage rate, as compared to the 25% miscarriage rate seen in non-IVF pregnancies); however, this statistic may reflect the earlier diagnosis of IVF pregnancies rather than any real increase in risk. As in any pregnancy, the embryo(s) may become lodged in the Fallopian tube, resulting in an ectopic pregnancy.