# After your embryo transfer: what to expect

> General information on the days after an embryo transfer: normal activity, medicines taken on time, warning signs, the pregnancy test and what comes next.

Source: https://www.ghinashami.com/en/guide/after-embryo-transfer/  
Last updated: 2026-10-30

IVF guide

The transfer takes a few minutes; the wait for the pregnancy test can feel much longer. This guide covers those days, the warning signs that need prompt attention, the test itself and what usually follows. Your own clinic's instructions come first.

- 7 min read
- Reviewed 13 October 2026
- 13 references

## Bed rest is not needed

Lying down for a long time after the transfer does not help: NICE states that bed rest of more than 20 minutes after embryo transfer does not improve the outcome of IVF.

You can usually return to your normal daily activities. Your ovaries may still be enlarged after stimulation, so ask your clinic whether there is anything to avoid until the pregnancy test, such as strenuous exercise.

## Your medicines, on time

After IVF, progesterone is the recommended medicine to support the lining of the uterus (luteal phase support). In frozen embryo transfers, some cycles are supported with hormones, while others follow your natural cycle. These medicines work only if they are taken as prescribed, so setting reminders helps.

If you miss a dose or take it late, contact your clinic for advice rather than doubling the next one. Do not stop or change any medicine on your own, including after a positive test: your clinic will tell you how long to continue.

## Symptoms, and when to get help

Mild bloating and discomfort are common after ovarian stimulation; the HFEA notes that about a third of women have a mild form of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS). Symptoms during these days are not a reliable sign of whether you are pregnant.

**Contact your fertility clinic as soon as possible** if you have pain and bloating in your abdomen, nausea or vomiting, faintness, vaginal bleeding or a brown watery discharge, or pain when opening your bowels or passing urine. **In an emergency call 998** (ambulance in the UAE) or go to the nearest emergency department if you have difficulty breathing, pain in your chest or upper back, severe abdominal pain, heavy bleeding, or you are very thirsty and passing much less urine than usual. These can be signs of severe OHSS, an ectopic pregnancy or another problem that needs urgent care.

## Who to contact

Before the transfer, make sure you know how to reach your fertility clinic, including outside opening hours. Describe new or worrying symptoms by phone or in person rather than in a written message, so that the person caring for you can ask questions and advise you straight away. Even small questions about a symptom, travel or a medicine are worth raising during these days.

## Everyday life until the test

Research on daily life after a transfer is limited and clinics differ, so your own clinic's instructions come first.

- **Work and walking.** You can usually go back to work. The American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) finds good evidence against bed rest and supports walking straight after the procedure.
- **Exercise and lifting.** In a 2014 study in Fertility and Sterility, activity measured between the transfer and the test was not linked with the outcome, but the women did almost no vigorous exercise, so its effect could not be judged. There is little research on lifting. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) advises women with OHSS to avoid strenuous exercise, because enlarged ovaries can be injured.
- **Travel and flying.** There is little research on travel after a transfer. The RCOG sees no reason to avoid flying in a straightforward pregnancy, and notes that long flights may raise the chance of a blood clot. Ask your clinic before planning a trip.
- **Sexual intercourse.** In one randomised trial (Human Reproduction, 2000), pregnancy rates did not differ significantly between couples who had intercourse around the transfer and those who abstained, although more of the transferred embryos were still developing at 6 to 8 weeks in the women exposed to semen. Clinics' advice varies, and the RCOG advises avoiding intercourse while OHSS has enlarged the ovaries.
- **Baths and swimming.** There is little research on either. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) advises against saunas and hot tubs in early pregnancy, because they raise core body temperature.
- **Food, coffee and alcohol.** As you may be pregnant, it is reasonable to follow NHS advice for pregnancy: avoid unpasteurised dairy products, raw or undercooked meat, liver and raw fish, and keep caffeine to 200 mg a day (the NHS counts about 100 mg in a cup of instant coffee). NICE advises women trying to become pregnant to avoid alcohol altogether.

## The pregnancy test

Your clinic will give you a date for the pregnancy test; the NHS describes it as around 16 days after the transfer. Take the test on the date you are given: a test taken earlier can be misleading, showing a false positive or a false negative.

## If the test is positive

After a positive test, your clinic will usually arrange an ultrasound scan at around 7 weeks of pregnancy to check the heartbeat and confirm the pregnancy. Keep taking your medicines exactly as instructed until your clinic tells you to stop. Ask when your care will move to a maternity (obstetric) team, and ask for a written summary of your treatment to take with you.

## If the test is negative

A negative test is a loss, and it is normal to need time. The NHS advises giving yourself time to recover and making sure you have support, and NICE recommends that counselling is available whatever the outcome of treatment. Stop the medicines only when your clinic tells you to; a period usually follows.

A review appointment can go through how the ovaries responded and how the embryos developed. A single unsuccessful transfer is common. When embryos thought to be viable have repeatedly failed to implant, ESHRE describes a structured approach to further investigation, explained on the [recurrent implantation failure](https://www.ghinashami.com/en/interests/recurrent-implantation-failure/) page. When to try again is a decision for you and your doctor.

## Questions worth asking your clinic before the transfer

1. **Which medicines, at what times, and until when?** A written schedule with each medicine, its time of day and when to stop.
2. **How do I reach the clinic, day and night?** Including what to do outside opening hours.
3. **When and how is the pregnancy test done?** The date, whether it is a blood or urine test, and how you will hear what it shows.
4. **Who follows the pregnancy, and when does maternity care start?** And whether you will receive a written summary of your treatment.

Dr. Ghina Shami

## Common questions

**Do I need bed rest after an embryo transfer?**

NICE states that bed rest of more than 20 minutes after the transfer does not improve the outcome of IVF. Normal daily activity is usually fine; ask your clinic whether there is anything to avoid.

**I have some bleeding after the transfer. What should I do?**

Contact your fertility clinic as soon as possible, and do not stop your medicines unless the clinic tells you to. Bleeding has several possible causes and needs assessment. Heavy bleeding or severe pain is an emergency: call 998 or go to the nearest emergency department.

**When can I do a pregnancy test?**

On the date your clinic gives you. A test taken earlier can be misleading, showing a false negative or a false positive.

**What happens after a positive test?**

Your clinic usually arranges a scan at around 7 weeks of pregnancy to check the heartbeat and confirm the pregnancy. Continue your medicines as instructed, and ask your clinic when your care moves to a maternity team.

**Can I exercise or lift heavy things after an embryo transfer?**

Walking and ordinary daily activity are usually fine: the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) finds good evidence against bed rest after a transfer. For strenuous exercise and heavy lifting the evidence is thin: in a study that measured activity between the transfer and the test (Fertility and Sterility, 2014), the women did almost no vigorous exercise, so its effect could not be judged. Some clinics advise against strenuous activity in the days after the transfer, so follow your own clinic's instructions.

**Can we have intercourse before the pregnancy test?**

Clinics differ on this, so follow your own clinic's instructions. In one randomised trial (Human Reproduction, 2000), pregnancy rates did not differ significantly between couples who had intercourse around the time of the transfer and couples who abstained, although more of the transferred embryos were still developing at 6 to 8 weeks in the women exposed to semen. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) advises avoiding intercourse while ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) has enlarged the ovaries.

**Can I fly or travel before the pregnancy test?**

There is little research on flying after a transfer. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) sees no reason to avoid flying in a straightforward pregnancy, and advises regular walks and drinks of water on flights of more than four hours to lower the risk of a blood clot in the leg. Ask your clinic before planning a trip, so that you stay within reach for symptoms, your medicines and the test date.

**Evidence basis:** This guide is based on NICE (2026) and ESHRE (2025) guidelines and on NHS and HFEA patient information; the advice on bed rest and progesterone rests on clinical studies, the rest on guideline consensus and patient information. The section on everyday life rests on a few clinical studies and on ASRM, RCOG, ACOG and NHS information, and says where research is lacking.

## References

1. Fertility problems: assessment and treatment (NICE guideline NG257). NICE. 2026. Available from: [nice.org.uk/guidance/ng257](https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng257).
2. ESHRE guideline: ovarian stimulation for IVF/ICSI: an update in 2025. ESHRE, Human Reproduction. 2026. [doi:10.1093/humrep/deag018](https://doi.org/10.1093/humrep/deag018).
3. IVF. NHS. 2025. Available from: [nhs.uk/conditions/ivf](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/ivf/).
4. Risks of fertility treatment. HFEA (Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority). 2016. Available from: [hfea.gov.uk/treatments/explore-all-treatments/risks-of-fertility-treatment](https://www.hfea.gov.uk/treatments/explore-all-treatments/risks-of-fertility-treatment/).
5. In vitro fertilisation (IVF). HFEA (Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority). 2016. Available from: [hfea.gov.uk/treatments/explore-all-treatments/in-vitro-fertilisation-ivf](https://www.hfea.gov.uk/treatments/explore-all-treatments/in-vitro-fertilisation-ivf/).
6. ESHRE good practice recommendations on recurrent implantation failure. ESHRE, Human Reproduction Open. 2023. [doi:10.1093/hropen/hoad023](https://doi.org/10.1093/hropen/hoad023).
7. Performing the embryo transfer: a guideline. American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), Fertility and Sterility. 2017. Available from: [asrm.org/practice-guidance/practice-committee-documents/performing-the-embryo-transfer-a-guideline-2017](https://www.asrm.org/practice-guidance/practice-committee-documents/performing-the-embryo-transfer-a-guideline-2017/).
8. Association of physical activity in the past year and immediately after in vitro fertilization on pregnancy. Fertility and Sterility (Evenson et al.). 2014. [doi:10.1016/j.fertnstert.2013.12.041](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fertnstert.2013.12.041).
9. Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS). RCOG (Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists). 2016. Available from: [rcog.org.uk/for-the-public/browse-our-patient-information/ovarian-hyperstimulation-syndrome](https://www.rcog.org.uk/for-the-public/browse-our-patient-information/ovarian-hyperstimulation-syndrome/).
10. Air travel and pregnancy. RCOG (Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists). 2026. Available from: [rcog.org.uk/for-the-public/browse-our-patient-information/air-travel-and-pregnancy](https://www.rcog.org.uk/for-the-public/browse-our-patient-information/air-travel-and-pregnancy/).
11. The effect of intercourse on pregnancy rates during assisted human reproduction. Human Reproduction (Tremellen et al.). 2000. [doi:10.1093/humrep/15.12.2653](https://doi.org/10.1093/humrep/15.12.2653).
12. Can I use a sauna or hot tub early in pregnancy? ACOG (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists). 2021. Available from: [acog.org/womens-health/experts-and-stories/ask-acog/can-i-use-a-sauna-or-hot-tub-early-in-pregnancy](https://www.acog.org/womens-health/experts-and-stories/ask-acog/can-i-use-a-sauna-or-hot-tub-early-in-pregnancy).
13. Foods to avoid in pregnancy. NHS. 2026. Available from: [nhs.uk/pregnancy/keeping-well/foods-to-avoid](https://www.nhs.uk/pregnancy/keeping-well/foods-to-avoid/).

Written and reviewed by [Dr. Ghina Shami](https://www.ghinashami.com/en/about/), Consultant, Reproductive Medicine and Infertility · 13 October 2026 · [How these pages are prepared](https://www.ghinashami.com/en/legal/#accuracy)