Embryo Transfer Q.

sbg · April 2012

We are going through our first round of IVF. Our Embryo transfer is in a few days. Is it standard protocol to go on bedrest for 24 hrs after? I feel lucky our transfer is on the weekend. I'm not sure how that would go during the week.

keg · April 2012

It depends entirely on your clinic. Some recommend a day or two of bedrest and some don't recommend any. I am sure there are a number of women that did each on this board! Personally, my clinic doesn't require/recommend bedrest. For my first transfer, I took it easy the day of the transfer but not bedrest. That cycle gave me my girls. For my FET last year, I was back to my normal routine that evening (dinner, baths, etc with two toddlers, so pretty much the opposite of bedrest!) and it turned out in a chemical pg, which from my understanding is more of a result of a bad embryo as opposed to anything I did or didn't do. Good luck with your transfer!!

choco_lab · April 2012

My RE said to just "take it easy". For me, that meant not taking my toddler outside to play.. we just sat around watching TV that afternoon and the next day. And I got a BFP! Good luck!

MBandBud · April 2012

We were told bedrest for the rest of the day then very cautious the next day; that is what I did (and that cycle worked). I remember at the time there was a lot of polling going on with those going through IVF with some who's RE said nothing and others who I think did day of and day after bedrest.

I say listen to doc orders or go with your gut on the conservative side. I do think that if it is going to happen it is going to be in that first 24 hours. I don't think the embry 'hangs out' for very long during IVF but I can't cite medical stats on that! Good luck!

ladychicago · April 2012

My clinic had the "take it easy" approach. With my cycle for DS, I had a 10 month old daughter at home and no help... So no rest and lots of baby-lifting immediately after the ET. Yet DS found his way. Just do whatever you need to for peace of mind! Good luck!

JenniferB1024 · April 2012

We're in our first IVF cycle too My doctor recommended 3 days of bed rest post-transfer (from other people's comments, that seems like a lot). I would err on the side of caution, and do as little as you can for as long as you can.

We had a positive pregnancy test, and go in tomorrow for our first u/s

Good luck!!!

DrVWife · April 2012

My clinic is 48 hours of bedrest but my DH insisted in 4 days (yes he is crazy!) of bedrest. I had my transfer on a Monday late morning and spent the rest of the day in bed and then all of Tuesday and Wednesday and by Thursday evening my DH released me from house arrest. Granted I was a SAHW at that point and had nowhere I needed to be.

FWIW, my first cycle I was only able to rest for about 5 hours after the transfer and then was back to my normal routine. It was a BFN....hence why my DH was a crazy person about bedrest. We are getting ready to start our next IVF and he is already lining up help with our DD for my mandatory bedrest time.

JillRock96 · April 2012

Our clinic recommended no bed rest. They said to take it easy the day of transfer and resume normal activity the next day. I did my own research on it, and I could not find a single study that supported bed rest. I did find a meta-analysis that slightly favored no bed rest, with the thought being that bed rest limits blood flow to the uterus. For my transfer with the twins, I had a 9-month-old at home and had to lift her and take care of her, and both embryos stuck.

Good luck!

ETA: Here are two of the studies that I had saved back when I was going through IVF the first time, if you are interested. I'm sure that there is newer research out there at this point, though!

https://www.gfmer.ch/PGC_RH_2005/pdf/Mobilization_ET_R.pdf

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1471-0528.2004.00346.x/pdf

creusamedea · April 2012

My doc definitely suggested bed rest after the procedure and then taking it easy the next day. I was worn out from the progesterone anyway so it wasn't hard to convince me to just hang out for a day. I am 8 weeks along now and we just found out we are having twins. So bedrest didn't hurt in this case!

sbg · April 2012

Thanks everyone! This is helpful. I don't mind the idea of bedrest for 24 hours, but I want to make sure that there is bloodflow to the uterus if that is what I need to be successful.

mama_cito95 · April 2012

If you do the bed rest and actually are laying around, lay on your left side for better blood flow.

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