Bleeding during an IVF cycle does not mean your cycle has failed !

 

Whenever IVF patients start bleeding , they start panicking , because they believe this sign means that their cycle has failed . The problem is that since there really is no reliable way finding out what is happening to the embryo after it has been transferred inside the uterus , patients are forced to rely on their symptoms and signs to try to imagine what is happening inside their body to their precious embryo.

The truth is that these signs can be very misleading , and bleeding does not mean that they cycle has failed. After all, an embryo is just a ball of cells, and this bleeding comes from the uterine lining and not from the embryo . Patients worry that this bleeding means that their embryos has been expelled, but the phenomenon of implantation bleeding is well described , and this occurs in successful IVF cycles during the 2 week waiting period , because the embryo burrows into the endometrial blood flow, to extract nutrition for itself.

 It’s normal for patients to panic when they see the blood because of the uncertainty . They pray that everything is fine , but their mind automatically assumes the worst. They want their doctor to reassure them that all is well, but no doctor can do this. Until you do the beta HCG blood test 12 days after the embryo transfer , that suspense is going to remain – both for you and for your doctor.

 Please don’t give up hope just because you start bleeding . This blood will look just like menstrual flow, because it comes from the same source – the endometrial blood vessels !

We advice patients to rest; and we double the dose of hormonal support (oestrogen and progesterone ), and this will often stop the bleeding.

 Bleeding can occur even after the HCG test is positive and you have confirmed you are pregnant.

Spotting and bleeding during pregnancy is quite common, and comes from the uterine wall.

This is not fetal blood, because the fetus during an early pregnancy is very small and doesn’t have its own circulatory system, which means is doesn’t have any RBCs ( red blood cells) .

The reason we worry is that we don’t want patients to become unduly anxious, which is why we advice them to rest when they start bleeding, but the truth is there is very little we can do to influence the final outcome .

Yes, this bleeding during pregnancy can be scary , but do remember that over 50% of patients who bleed during pregnancy will go on to have a healthy baby !

Need help in getting pregnant ? Please send me your medical details by filling in the form at www.drmalpani.com/free-second-opinion so that I can guide you !