Why so long?

[MaddieH]

Hi everyone,

I am currently on my two weeks wait, having had a 5 day embryo transferred last Monday. My clinic makes you wait 18 days after egg collection before testing, so I've got another week yet. I've heard people have got positives much earlier than that and I was wondering why my clinic might be suggesting that I wait 18 days after egg collection? I know you have to wait to get the trigger shot out of your system, but it still seems like a long time to me. This is my first IVF attempt and I'm not a very patient person! Hehe

Maddie - I think it's to make sure there are no false positives. Trigger will definitely be out of your system and less risk of a chemical showing up. If you test out the trigger then you can of course test early... Not advised though because whatever result you get you won't believe it!

I agree it is to reduce the incidence of what clinics like to call biochemical pregnancies, where you get a positive test but the pregnancy fails very early, or if you test too early with a urine test the hCG levels may not be high enough and you might think you had a neg result and stop medication too early.
We ask patients to do their own home urine preg tests so by day 18 post egg collection the hormone levels should definitely be high enough for all available tests to give a reliable result.
Being impatient doesn't make the biology work any quicker :-)

Meant to say good luck too!

It's because it can give you a false negative.

I've had IVF three times.

1st time I tested a week early got a very weak positive test then was testing every day till my test day. I was obsessed with doing the tests to see if the got stronger it really took the shine away as we were so uncertain. ! (She is sat at the side of me (3)

Second one I tested early - very weak positive, tested manically for the rest of the time and Sadler by test day it was gone. I could have kicked myself for putting myself through that.

Third one - I left it, positive on test day and I'm due on 2Nov.

Honestly don't do it- it's not worth it

Thank you all for your responses, they were very useful! I am definitely going to hold out until Sunday, now, as I want the result to be entirely accurate. As my mum always says, 'patience is a virtue'! Thank you

You are lucky - my clinic gave me a test date 16 days after my 5 day transfer. I can't see any scientific basis for waiting so long (it is bonkers). I won't be waiting until then as will be on hols!

I'm currently on day 5 following a 5dt of a top quality blastocyst, I caved in today and tested even though I KNOW it's too early to show. I'm a wreck! If you can, hold out till 14 days post egg collection. Good luck!

My FC makes you wait 19 days after EC which is a ridiculously long time. I got a very strong BFP 10dp5dt, so the equivalent of 15dpo and 4 days before my OTD. I'm not advocating testing too early though as that can be a total mindfuck! I tested a few days early on all of my 6 cycles but I didn't stop meds until I'd got a BFN on OTD.

My Dr made me wait till 12dp5dt (ie 17 dpo)

I caved and tested at 8dp5dt. It was supposed to be a BFN practice run so I'd break myself in and be prepared to see a BFN on OTD. Nearly shat myself when the second line came up

I fessed up to my clinic and told me they could give me a slap on the wrist They got me in for blood tests at 10dp5dt and 12dp5dt

Sadly that pregnancy ended in miscarriage at 10w, but cycling again and telling myself NOT to test any earlier than that this time!