Patient's question:
After fourteen days of embryo transfer in IVF, if pregnancy hasn't occurred, does it mean it hasn't implanted?Doctor's answer:
There are test tubes where the embryo survives and is implanted into your uterus to let it attach on its own, so there can be implantation issues. Those that don't react are even smaller than rice grains, and they won't react even when placed in your hand. After the egg is retrieved, it is incubated with sperm in the test tube. Each egg requires about 100,000 sperm to fertilize. After fertilization, the zygote divides to form early-stage embryos, which are 2 to 8 blastomeres, at which point embryo transfer (ET) can be performed. This is usually about 48 hours after egg retrieval, though this time can be slightly adjusted depending on the specific situation, such as delaying by one day, which might be more beneficial for selecting the optimal embryo. If it's too early, the uterine environment might not be conducive to accepting the embryo. Generally, a trial transfer is performed in the outpatient clinic in the cycle before the stimulation cycle to understand the position of the uterus, the angle between the cervix and the uterine body, and the length of the uterine cavity, as well as slightly dilating the cervix. During the transfer, the external genitalia are disinfected, and the speculum is used to expose the vagina.