08 Jan IVF Timeline: What Happens Week by Week
When you’re planning IVF treatment, one of the first questions is simply: how long does this take? The answer depends on whether you’re doing a fresh embryo transfer or a frozen transfer (FET), but most patients complete an IVF cycle within four to six weeks from start to finish.
This guide walks you through each phase so you know exactly what to expect—and when.
Preparation and Testing (1–4 Weeks Before)
Before stimulation begins, you’ll complete baseline testing to ensure your body is ready and to help your doctor personalise your protocol.
For women, this typically includes a transvaginal ultrasound to assess your ovaries and antral follicle count, plus blood tests for AMH, FSH, and estradiol. You’ll also need recent results for infectious disease screening (HIV, Hepatitis B and C, syphilis) and sometimes a hysteroscopy or saline sonogram to check the uterine cavity.
For men, a semen analysis is essential. If previous results showed abnormalities, your doctor may request additional tests.
If you’re traveling to Athens from abroad, much of this testing can be done at home. Our team will review your results remotely before you arrive. For a complete list of what to bring, see our IVF in Greece guide.
Ovarian Stimulation (10–14 Days)
Stimulation is the most intensive phase of IVF. You’ll take daily hormone injections—typically a combination of FSH and LH—to encourage multiple follicles to develop simultaneously.
During this phase, you’ll have regular monitoring appointments every two to three days. Each visit includes a transvaginal ultrasound to measure follicle growth and blood tests to check hormone levels. Your doctor adjusts medication doses based on how you’re responding.
Most stimulation protocols last between 10 and 14 days, though this varies. Some women respond quickly and are ready for retrieval in 9 days; others may need up to 16 days. Your doctor will tell you when your follicles have reached the target size (typically 17–22mm for the lead follicles).
Throughout stimulation, you may experience bloating, mild cramping, or mood swings. These are normal side effects of the medications and typically resolve after egg retrieval.
The Trigger Shot
When your follicles are ready, you’ll take a “trigger shot”—an injection of hCG or a GnRH agonist—to mature the eggs for retrieval. The timing is precise: egg retrieval is scheduled exactly 34 to 36 hours after the trigger.
This is one injection you cannot miss or delay. Your clinic will give you a specific time to administer it, often late at night to allow for a morning retrieval.
Egg Retrieval Day
Egg retrieval is a minor surgical procedure performed under light sedation. It takes about 15 to 20 minutes.
Using ultrasound guidance, your doctor inserts a thin needle through the vaginal wall to aspirate fluid from each mature follicle. You won’t feel pain during the procedure, and most women wake up feeling slightly groggy but otherwise comfortable.
After retrieval, you’ll rest at the clinic for one to two hours before going home. Mild cramping and spotting are common for a day or two afterward. Most women feel back to normal within 48 hours.
On the same day, your partner provides a semen sample (or frozen sperm is thawed if that’s your plan). The embryology team prepares the sperm for fertilisation.
Fertilisation and Embryo Development (5–7 Days)
This is where the lab takes over. Depending on your situation, fertilisation happens through conventional IVF (eggs and sperm are placed together) or ICSI (a single sperm is injected into each mature egg).
The morning after retrieval, the embryology team checks how many eggs fertilised. You’ll receive an update—typically by phone or message.
Over the next five to seven days, the embryos develop in the lab. The team monitors them closely, looking for normal division and progression to the blastocyst stage (usually reached by day 5 or 6). Not all fertilised eggs become viable blastocysts; this is normal.
If you’ve opted for PGT-A (genetic testing), a small biopsy is taken from each blastocyst and sent for analysis. Results usually take one to two weeks.
Fresh Transfer vs. Freeze-All
At this point, your path depends on whether you’re doing a fresh transfer or freezing all embryos for a later FET.
Fresh transfer: If your hormone levels and uterine lining look good, and you’re not doing genetic testing, your doctor may recommend transferring a blastocyst on day 5 or 6. You stay in Athens through transfer day.
Freeze-all and FET: Many clinics now prefer a freeze-all approach, especially if you’ve had a strong stimulation response, plan to do PGT-A, or want to give your body time to recover. Embryos are vitrified (flash-frozen) and stored. You return for a frozen embryo transfer cycle weeks or months later.
Frozen transfers are simpler than fresh cycles. You’ll take estrogen and progesterone to prepare your lining, with fewer monitoring appointments. The FET itself is quick and painless—similar to a pap smear.
For details on planning your visits, see our IVF in Athens travel guide.
Two Sample Timelines
Fresh Transfer Timeline
| Phase | Days |
|---|---|
| Preparation and testing | 1–4 weeks before |
| Stimulation | Days 1–12 (average) |
| Trigger shot | Day 12 evening |
| Egg retrieval | Day 14 |
| Fertilisation report | Day 15 |
| Embryo development | Days 15–19 |
| Fresh transfer (day 5) | Day 19 |
| Pregnancy test | Day 28–30 |
Total time in Athens: approximately 14–18 days.
Frozen Embryo Transfer (FET) Timeline
| Phase | Duration |
|---|---|
| Stimulation cycle (first trip) | ~14–18 days |
| Freeze embryos | After retrieval |
| Rest period | 1–3 months (or longer) |
| FET cycle (second trip) | ~10–14 days |
| Pregnancy test | 9–11 days after transfer |
Total time in Athens for FET trip: approximately 7–12 days.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long is stimulation?
Stimulation typically lasts 10 to 14 days, though it can range from 9 to 16 days depending on how your ovaries respond. Your doctor monitors your progress and adjusts the timeline as needed.
When is the embryo transfer?
For a fresh transfer, embryos are typically transferred on day 5 or 6 after retrieval—when they’ve reached the blastocyst stage. For a frozen transfer (FET), the transfer is scheduled after your uterine lining has been prepared, usually about 10 to 14 days into your FET cycle.
When is the pregnancy test?
You’ll take a blood pregnancy test (beta-hCG) approximately 9 to 11 days after a frozen transfer, or about 14 days after egg retrieval for a fresh transfer. Home pregnancy tests may show results slightly earlier, but the blood test provides a definitive answer.
Ready to discuss your timeline?
Our team can walk you through each step based on your specific situation. Book a consultation to get started.
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