How long does IVF process take from start to finish?

From start to finish, the IVF process takes approximately three to four weeks. The initial part of the process is what we call ovarian stimulation. So the lady will call the clinic on day one of her period, come in on day two or day three for a scan. At that point, if everything was okay with the scan, the patient would start injectable forms of medication to stimulate the development of follicles on the ovary and to thicken up the lining of the womb. The injections can take anywhere between 10 to 14 days and during that time the lady will attend the clinic for regular ultrasound scans to assess the ovaries and check that the follicular development is consistent. Once the follicles are big enough and you're ready for your IVF, 36 hours before the IVF procedure, you will take what we call a trigger injection. This basically matures your eggs and gets them ready to be collected. You'll then come into clinic and have your egg collection. The procedure for egg collection, it takes about 30 minutes. You need to take the day off work, and go home and put your feet up afterwards. You'll then get a phone call the following day to advise you about fertilisation. And generally, ladies tend to come in for embryo transfer five days after egg collection. Once the embryo transfer has been done, you're then into what we call your two-week wait period. But. actually, if you've had a blastocyst transfer, it's only about 11 days. The clinic will call you within that time just to check that everything is okay and to see if you need any further support or help from the nursing team or if you require any counselling. Once you do your test, you call the clinic with the results and hopefully if it's positive, you'll then be back in with us three weeks later for your antenatal scan at seven weeks.