What are the steps of IVF?
Last updated September 3, 2026.
IVF runs five steps: stimulation, egg retrieval, fertilization, embryo culture, and embryo transfer, followed by a two-week wait for the pregnancy blood test. Stimulation means 8 to 14 days of injectable fertility drugs plus monitoring scans and bloodwork so many eggs mature at once. Retrieval is a minor sedated procedure (follicular aspiration) collecting eggs by ultrasound-guided needle. In the lab, eggs and sperm are combined, or a single sperm is injected into each egg (ICSI) when fertilization is a concern. Embryos then grow in an incubator for 3 to 6 days, with attrition at every stage: not all eggs fertilize, not all embryos develop. Transfer places an embryo into the uterus via a thin catheter, a quick no-sedation procedure. A blood test 9 to 14 days later gives the answer, and surplus good embryos can be frozen for later transfers. Expect the full cycle, from first injection to pregnancy test, to span about 3 to 4 weeks.
What to do
- Plan 3 to 4 weeks: from first injection to pregnancy test per cycle.
- Expect monitoring: blood draws and ultrasounds every few days during stimulation.
- Recovery is short: retrieval is same-day with sedation; transfer needs none.
- Ask about ICSI: if sperm factors are in play, direct injection raises fertilization odds.
- Freeze the extras: good surplus embryos mean future transfers without another stimulation.
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