The effects of the hCG injection wear off within a week and the ovaries may not produce enough progesterone on their own to support a pregnancy. Extra doses of hCG (Pregnyl®), or progesterone (in the form of pessaries or Crinone® gel) are required until the outcome of the cycle is known.

A pregnancy test is not reliable until 16 days after egg collection. This can be the most nerve-racking time of the whole treatment cycle. Many people will feel simultaneously elated (there's a new chance of pregnancy) and deflated (there is much less to do compared with before the egg retrieval, there is less information and, unless you have specific questions, there is much less contact with people at the clinic).

"The two-week wait"

Once all the stages of the IVF cycle have been completed, there's nothing more to be done than wait for the time to pass before the results - whether or not the pregnancy has started - are known. Some refer to this time as the dreaded "two week wait", because such a protracted period of uncertainty after so much forward activity can be stressful. Our counsellors, nurse coordinators and your doctor are all available to help during this time.

How did you cope?

Share your two-week wait feelings. Visit our My IVF Experience page and tell us about your experiences with IVF.