Dr. Marjorie Greenfield
Specializing in pregnancy and birth.
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 Ask Dr. Greenfield
Home Pregnancy Test Accuracy after In Vitro Fertilization | | | QUESTION | | | Dear Dr. Greenfield,
I had IVF (icsi) last Sunday the 23rd. I feel that I am having a lot of pregnancy symptoms that I was not having with the meds prior to the transfer. I am only on progesterone now. Would a home pregnancy test be that accurate? Thank you.— AmyS | | | ANSWER |
October 18, 2001 | | | Dear AmyS,
The waiting between embryo transfer and when you find out if you're going to have a baby feels like forever, doesn't it? Unfortunately, the hCG injection that is given to ready the eggs for retrieval can interfere with the home pregnancy test. What also may confuse the situation is that the hormone progesterone, which is naturally present in early gestation, is the cause of many early pregnancy symptoms, like breast soreness and fluid retention, and can delay the period even when you aren't pregnant.
So it's hard to know if your symptoms are a sign that you are expecting or a cruel false alarm. Your IVF caregivers can tell you when they would expect your home pregnancy test to be real, or they can invite you in for a blood test in their lab. Give them a call, and good luck to you! — by Marjorie Greenfield, M.D. |
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