Why do I have to wait 2 weeks to do a pregnancy test ?

Most patients find that one of the most difficult things to manage during an IVF cycle is the dreaded 2 week wait ( 2ww) after the embryo transfer. Time seems to come to a halt and you live in a state of suspended animation - a bit like Schroedinger's cat ! Am I pregnant ? Am I not pregnant ? Every ache and twinge sends you scurrying to the bathroom to check if your periods have started - and you over-interpret every signal your body sends you. Am I feeling nauseous ? Is this a good sign ? Do my breasts feel fuller than usual ? Is this just PMS ? You try to prevent your mind from playing games with you, but this is surprisingly hard to do. Every hour seems to stretch on like a day ! You obsessively compare notes with all your online IVF friends - and drive your husband batty with your interpretations and wild imaginings ! Every time he drives the car through a pot-hole, you go bonkers with the anxiety that the jolt has jarred your embryos out of their safe uterine haven and caused them to fall out !

Why do I have to wait 12 days after the embryo transfer to do a pregnancy test ? Can't I do it earlier ? After all, if I am pregnant, won't the test show this ? Aren't the new tests very sensitive ? Aren't they supposed to show a positive result even before the period is missed ?

You cheat and start doing pregnancy tests anyways - how can it hurt ? And every time it's negative, you still hope against hope ! Maybe I did it too early ? Maybe it will show up as positive if I wait another 2 days ? How can God be so unfair ? After all the shots I have taken and the pain I have suffered, I am sure he will not let me down and will give me my baby !

Remember that your embryos are safe in your uterus and that nothing you do can harm them ! If they are going to implant, they will and there's precious little you can do to influence the inefficient biological process of embryo implantation either way.

Continue taking all your medicines; leading a normal life; and please remember the Serenity Prayer.

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change;
the courage to change the things I can;
and the wisdom to know the difference.