Preparing your body and mind for embryo transfer

Of all the stages of IVF, the embryo transfer carries the most hope and, often, the most anxiety. It is also surrounded by more myths than any other step. Let me clear the air.

What the day is really like

The transfer itself takes a few minutes. There is no anaesthesia, no cutting, no recovery bed. A soft catheter places the embryo into the womb, guided by ultrasound, and then you simply get up and go about a calm version of your day. Decades of evidence are clear: lying flat for hours afterwards does not improve outcomes. The embryo does not fall out. It was never going to.

What genuinely helps

Sleep is the most underrated fertility medicine we have. Guard it in the week before and after transfer.

Eat normally and well. Warm, regular meals, plenty of water. There is no magic transfer diet, whatever the internet says, and pineapple core is not a medical protocol.

Move gently. Walks are good. Marathon training is not the week for it. Listen to your body rather than to fear.

Take the medicines exactly as prescribed. Progesterone support matters; set alarms if you need to.

What to ignore

You will hear that you must not laugh, must not climb stairs, must not raise your arms. None of this has any basis. Stress about resting can be more taxing than simply living your life. The kindest thing you can do for yourself in the two-week wait is to plan small, pleasant, ordinary things: a film, a friend, an unhurried meal.

The part nobody can prepare you for

The wait is hard. Allow it to be hard. Couples often do better when they decide in advance how they will spend test day, together, whatever the result. You are allowed to hope and protect yourself at the same time.

If you are approaching your transfer and something is worrying you, ask us, not the internet. No question is too small to bring to the clinic.