After the completion of the in vitro fertilization protocol, the woman begins to treat with trepidation and great attention any changes in her health, hoping to find the first signs of successful IVF - pregnancy. Particular attention during this period is paid to secretions. What they can be after IVF, we will tell in this material.
Why watch for discharge?
Vaginal secretions, popularly referred to as "secretions", are very important for the normal functioning of the reproductive system. And IVF performed cannot be considered an exception to the rule. A normal vaginal microclimate is important for the onset of pregnancy, its maintenance and development. Allocation changes depending on the level of hormones, the day after the transfer, on whether the attachment of the ovum took place or did not take place.
Doctors recommend that women monitor the discharge after embryo transfer. It is the change in their character that has an important diagnostic value, which may indicate a successful protocol or a failure. It is possible to reliably find out whether the efforts of the doctors have been successful is possible only on the 14th day after the transfer, when a woman is taken a blood test for the content of chorionic gonadotropin in her. If such a hormone is found in a certain concentration, the protocol is considered successful, pregnancy has begun. If not, the protocol is considered unsuccessful.
A woman after embryo transfer is required to follow the doctor's recommendations. In addition to the mass of advice on nutrition, intimate life, hygiene and stress, this also applies to controlling the amount, consistency and color of discharge from the genitals. They are more likely to differ from the discharge that occurs in a woman after natural conception.
IVF is usually performed after preliminary stimulation of ovarian functions with hormones, so discharge after embryo transfer may seem unusual to a woman. In fact, they are quite understandable - the body has undergone the intake of potent hormones, traumatic puncture of the follicles, which cannot but have consequences.
Even if the embryos planted in the uterus take root, their rejection is not excluded, for example, if the endometrium was not ready enough for transfer or the embryos themselves turned out to be of poor quality, not viable, which will also be indirectly "reported" by the nature of the secretions. If a woman seeks a doctor in a timely manner, pregnancy in certain cases can be saved.
Usually, doctors after IVF do not need to persuade doctors for a long time - they themselves are very attentive to their women's health, because they went to an expensive and very serious procedure for auxiliary reproductive value for good reasons - they really want to have a child. This desire is the best motivation.
With a successful protocol
Moderate brown or pink discharge is considered completely normal as a consequence of hormonal stimulation. They can be observed within two weeks after embryo transfer, and in some cases even later. However, there is a special type of discharge, which is not observed in everyone and not always, which indicates that the embryo is being introduced into the functional layer of the endometrium of the uterus. This is the so-called implantation bleeding.
In 3-5-8 days after the transfer of embryos, spotting may appear, which lasts an average of 1-3 days. They are not plentiful, do not cause pain and discomfort, do not harm the health of the woman and her fetus in any way. Quite often, implantation secretions have a mucous consistency, sometimes interspersed with blood streaks.
These streaks and daubs are nothing more than a consequence of a violation of the integrity of the small vessels of the endometrium at the time the ovum is immersed in it. The blood that is released in this case, and goes out through the vagina.
In general, clear, homogeneous, odorless discharge is considered normal vaginal secretion on the first day after embryo transfer.
If a woman is prescribed progesterone after a follicle puncture, the discharge may be beige or yellowish. It is progesterone that gives them this color. Against the background of taking this hormone, there are rarely watery or mucous discharge - the hormone causes a thickening of the vaginal secretion, the discharge becomes quite thick, smearing.
The absolute norm is the absence of any discharge that differs from the usual. This means that the woman's body tolerated hormonal stimulation well, and the chances of a successful implantation are quite high.
A distinctive feature of transparent and colorless discharge after transfer is an increase in secretion in volume. In fact, the discharge remains the same as it was before IVF, but there are more of them. This sign is neither a sign of success, nor a sign of "passing".
Dangerous symptoms
The appearance of bleeding on the first day after replanting is considered dangerous. If this happens, you should immediately inform your doctor about it, especially if the discharge is accompanied by abdominal pain. This does not mean that the protocol is doomed to fail. Various complications are possible, for example, the manifestation of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome. But it’s better to notify the doctor.
The appearance of green or gray-brown discharge 6-8 days after the transfer may indicate the addition of a bacterial infection. You need to see a doctor as soon as possible to get an appointment for medications to treat the infection. A woman could get infected in the clinic, because, unfortunately, not always, the junior medical staff pays sufficient attention to the process of sterilizing instruments.
White, itchy, cheesy discharge can be a sign of thrush. By the way, it is the exacerbation of thrush that often indicates the onset of pregnancy in the early stages. But ignoring such an unpleasant vaginal secret and the accompanying symptoms is not worth it - you must definitely start treatment.
On days 11-14, bloody discharge with clots, black liquid discharge can be a sign of rejection of the ovum, if its implantation did take place. You should call an ambulance and get to the hospital as soon as possible, where the woman will be provided with the help necessary in such situations.
There are types of secretions that are considered conditionally normal until a certain period after embryo transfer. We are talking about pink, beige, creamy secretions of a uniform consistency. They should not disturb the woman until 14 days after the transfer.
If the same secretion persists after a two-week period, it is imperative to inform the doctor about this, since this is no longer considered the norm.
How to follow?
In order to understand well the type, volume and consistency of her own vaginal secretion, a woman after embryo transfer should exclude having sex and not douche. Use thin sanitary napkins. The use of tampons is strictly prohibited. It can provoke stagnation of vaginal secretions, a violation of its separation and the development of vaginosis.
To facilitate observation, doctors sometimes recommend that a woman keep a special diary, in which she will note the type and color of discharge every day after the transfer. This will help to notice implantation bleeding, if it appears, as well as to notice in time signs of disturbances in the patient's condition, if they occur.
The diary can be continued during early pregnancy. It will allow you to notice a possible threat of interruption in time and consult a doctor. With timely early access to qualified medical care, pregnancy in most cases can be successfully maintained.
Hygiene
Given that the amount of discharge after embryo transfer usually increases, a woman should be more careful about personal hygiene. It is recommended to wash with warm water at least twice a day, and it is better to refuse to use soap - it dries out the delicate skin of the external genital organs and disturbs the balance of microflora.
The hormonal changes that will occur after successful IVF will immediately affect the nature of the discharge, they can become thicker. Hygiene is important in this case too.
Reviews
Information about possible implantation bleeding sometimes unnecessarily calms women after IVF. Not always on days 7-8, spotting is a sign of implantation, as women think. More often, this symptom is a sign of insufficient progesterone levels. It is these situations that women often describe in their reviews. Those who have increased the dosage of progesterone-containing drugs these days usually become mothers, and the pregnancy can be maintained.
Many women, despite the fact that colorless and transparent discharge is considered the norm, describe that it was such discharge that was in cycles when the IVF attempt was not successful. Successful attempts at isolation are always at least somewhat different from the norm for a given woman.
The change in the nature of the discharge after the IVF protocol is usually very frightening for women, and they are in a hurry to share with their “like-minded people” on the pages of thematic women's forums. And the lack of reliable information about norms and deviations from norms increases the stress level in women. It is strictly forbidden to get nervous after IVF. A woman is warned about this separately, and therefore control over secretions should be reasonable. It should be somewhat abstracted from the situation, not dwelling on it, although this is what, according to reviews, is the most difficult thing.
About what kind of discharge there are after IVF and what they talk about, see the next video.
