What is an IVF 'cycle'?

A fresh transfer cycle will often be explained as series of procedures and phases aimed at a single outcome, even though that outcome cannot be predicted.

Because we know that treatment can sometimes be unsuccessful, it’s more useful to think of a treatment cycle as something that might need to be repeated.

Multiple cycles are not unusual

Sometimes doing multiple cycles is planned, such as when a Freeze All Cycle is followed by a Frozen Embryo Transfer. In these cases, the Frozen Embryo Transfer completes the process that began in an earlier Freeze All Cycle.

Sometimes, multiple cycles are needed because a phase of the cycle has not produced the desired results. At each phase of an IVF cycle there is a possibility that something doesn’t go according to plan. It may be that no eggs are retrieved, the eggs don’t fertilise, or that the embryos are not suitable for transfer or biopsy. And even when healthy looking embryos are transferred, the pregnancy test may still come back negative.

Difficult emotions around repeated cycles

It’s understandable to be upset by unplanned exits or bad news, but IVF treatment can be adapted to work with these unexpected turns.

While we hope that IVF treatment is a simple process that goes according to plan, it’s useful to understand that this won’t always be the case. Knowing that these less straightforward routes through IVF treatment are normal may help you cope with unexpected diversions on your journey.

Rather than thinking of your IVF treatment as a direct path from initial consultation to pregnancy, it may be useful to think of them as ‘cycles’. Instead of a linear path, try to think of any treatment as a roundabout - with a number of possible on-ramps and off-ramps.

While we always hope that fertility treatment will be a simple process that goes exactly according to plan, it's useful to understand that this won't always be the case.