After replanting embryos in the IVF protocol, a woman with particular excitement "listens" to her body, notes any changes, hopes that pregnancy has come. But sometimes, some time after replanting, menstruation begins. What they are talking about, we will tell in this article.
What happens after the transfer?
After the transfer of fertilized eggs that have reached a certain age, measured in days after fertilization into the uterus, in a woman's body, events can develop according to three scenarios:
- the embryo will take root, will be able to penetrate the epithelium and continue to develop - pregnancy will occur;
- the ovum will take root, implanted, but after a while it will be rejected by the mother's body or stop in development - the pregnancy will be terminated at the earliest possible date;
- the ovum will not be able to implant and will die - pregnancy will not occur.
If the implantation is successful, the chorionic villi, with which the membranes are attached to the wall of the uterus, will begin to produce a special substance - chorionic gonadotropin, the concentration of which will approximately double in blood and urine every two days. If not one, but two embryos take root, then the content of this hormone will be exactly twice the established norms.
About two weeks after the transfer and successful implantation, hCG will begin to be detected in blood plasma and urine. This is what will be the main diagnostic sign of a successful protocol - a woman can be congratulated on the onset of pregnancy.
If implantation does not occur, there is no growth of hCG, and with an interrupted pregnancy, the concentration of chorionic gonadotropic hormone will be significantly lower than normal.
Bleeding
If IVF is successful and pregnancy occurs, periods after the protocol should not begin. As with natural conception, the absence of menstruation is an indirect symptom of pregnancy. However, small spotting after replanting may well be considered the norm.
Firstly, they are associated with hormonal stimulation of superovulation, which was carried out in the first phase of the cycle before oocyte collection, and secondly, they can be a sign of a reaction to the hormonal support accompanying the second phase of the cycle. Doctors recommend not to be nervous and calm down if the discharge is not painful, not abundant, not accompanied by other unpleasant symptoms and is in the nature of a "daub".
Within two weeks after the transfer of embryos into the woman's uterine cavity, such discharge may well be the norm. You need to be wary if the spotting intensifies, does not stop 14 days after replanting, and also begins to be accompanied by pain.
First of all, the woman herself must be able to determine what is the nature of the discharge and whether they are similar to menstruation.
Types of discharge
A positive sign may be discharge that begins after three days from the moment of replanting the embryos. They can talk about the successful implantation of the latter into the endometrium of the uterus. This bleeding is called implantation bleeding. It is associated with a violation of the integrity of the endometrium at the time of the introduction of the ovum into it.
Implant bleeding may appear as a few drops of blood on a panty liner or a pinkish daub. The discharge can also be brown or beige, but it must be scarce. Abundant discharge during implantation should not be!
In addition to such secretions, which cannot be considered monthly, during implantation a woman may experience engorgement of the mammary glands, increased sensitivity, a slight increase in body temperature, especially in the afternoon and evening, as well as increased irritability and emotional instability. There is usually no pain. Only sometimes women note that the stomach slightly pulls and hurts, as before menstruation.
That is why implantation bleeding is often confused with the onset of menstruation. Unlike menstruation, implantation bleeding does not tend to change in intensity, it does not become more profuse, the discharge does not contain clots and bright red blood. It usually lasts from several hours to several days and disappears even before the date of the next menstruation comes.
It should be noted that implantation bleeding is not common for everyone and does not always manifest itself, so you should not necessarily wait for it. Quite often, the implantation proceeds without pronounced symptoms, discharge and sensations.
There will not be a full menstruation after the "flight" IVF. Most often, the discharge is accompanied by a pulling pain in the lower abdomen, there are numerous blood clots in the discharge, but the menstruation itself lasts a little less than usual - 3-4 days instead of the usual 5-6. Sometimes menstruation after an unsuccessful IVF is longer than usual, but not more than 1-2 days.
Almost all women note that after a failed IVF attempt, menstruation is more painful than usual, the color of the discharge is more scarlet. These are the consequences of hormone therapy, with subsequent menstruation it will pass. The onset of menstruation at the time corresponding to the cycle indicates the onset of menstrual bleeding, in which the woman's uterus gets rid of the dead embryos and excess endometrium, which was "built up" with hormones in the first half of the cycle.
The onset of bloody discharge after a delay, as well as positive pregnancy tests, can indicate a threat of termination of pregnancy, an incipient or completed miscarriage. It is imperative that you visit a doctor or call an ambulance to diagnose a violation and, if possible, try to maintain the pregnancy.
With a successful implantation, discharge may begin due to a lack of progesterone, which should regulate numerous processes of early pregnancy in the female body. With stimulation protocols, progesterone maintenance therapy after the transplant is usually prescribed. With natural cycle protocols, physicians try to avoid drug support.
Sometimes this approach requires correction and prescription of progesterone in certain doses from the very beginning of pregnancy up to 12-14 weeks, when the threat of miscarriage is considered less likely.
Causes of menstruation after the procedure
The reasons why menstruation occurs after in vitro fertilization can be different - from violations of doctor's recommendations to inflammatory diseases, stress and even infection. When entering the IVF protocol, a woman is usually warned that no one can guarantee her pregnancy with a 100% probability. Provided that a woman is not 35 years old and her health status does not cause concern to the doctor, the probability of pregnancy is estimated at 35-45%. This means that more than half of women will inevitably have their periods after IVF attempts.
The likelihood of implantation and development of embryos decreases with the age of a woman: up to 35 years - the chances are higher than 40%, after 40 years they drop to 8%. The effect of hormonal stimulation of the ovaries, which was necessary to obtain eggs, can also cause IVF failure.
The severe stress that a woman undergoing IVF is exposed to also does not contribute to a successful start of pregnancy.
The embryos could be of insufficient quality, which prevented their implantation and development. The reason for the lack of implantation can be endometriosis, fibroids, hydrosalpinx (accumulation of fluid in the fallopian tubes), as well as a rather impressive list of female diseases, which also prevents pregnancy.
Under the influence of hormones, a woman's body is in shock. In it, an exacerbation of chronic diseases is possible, as well as infection with influenza, ARVI or any other infection after embryo transfer. It is not at all necessary that a woman will immediately start to get very sick, sometimes the symptoms of infections are rather hidden, but they have a detrimental effect on the embryos.
Overweight, obesity of a woman can also cause menstruation after IVF. Sometimes the reason lies in the genetic incompatibility of partners.
Therefore, a geneticist's compatibility analysis is best done in advance, before joining the first protocol, since with such incompatibility, none of the attempts with these partners will be successful.
Anxiety and stress, tears and worries, quarrels with loved ones after embryo replanting contribute to the production of stress hormones, which suppresses the production of progesterone, which is so necessary for a successful pregnancy and its preservation. And bad habits (smoking, alcohol), if a woman cannot part with them after being implanted in the IVF protocol, can reduce all the efforts of doctors, no.
Failure to comply with medical recommendations is a rather rare reason, because women who went to IVF usually value the chance of pregnancy, since it is long-awaited and desired for them. Sometimes violations occur out of ignorance that it is forbidden to take a steam bath, go to the sauna, bask in a hot bath, exercise yourself in the gym and have sex after embryo transfer.
What to do?
If atypical bleeding occurs after IVF, it is imperative to obtain qualified medical advice that will help to establish whether it is menstruation or a threat of miscarriage.
If full-fledged menstruation came, pregnancy did not come, do not worry and despair. Statistically, the second and third protocols are usually significantly more successful than the first. And some women generally have to endure 8-9 attempts before they see the cherished two strips or positive results of a blood test for hCG.
In addition, there is a 25% chance that after an unsuccessful IVF attempt, pregnancy can occur quite naturally in bed, and not in a laboratory test tube. The fact is that hormone therapy gives a powerful impetus to a woman's reproductive system.
If the cause of her infertility was not identified, endocrine, associated with cycle disorders, it is the IVF protocol itself that can put everything in its place. Every fourth couple in such circumstances manages to conceive a baby on their own after an unsuccessful attempt in the next 1-2 months.
If the cause of infertility is unavoidable, there is no need to despair either. After the end of your period, it is important to get tested, find the reason for the failure and try again when the doctor permits.
For what a woman needs to know after embryo transfer, see the next video.
