Is IVF painful?

Asked by: Vidal Rohan Jr.  |  Last update: November 2, 2025
Score: 4.9/5 (32 votes)

Despite the fact that the procedure does not cause discomfort, sometimes IVF is painful. Ovulation stimulation is aimed at the maturation of several eggs with the help of hormonal drugs. As a result, one or both ovaries increase in size, which leads to discomfort and abdominal pain.

What is the most stressful part of IVF?

The 10-14 day waiting period between transfer and receiving the pregnancy test results is often described as the most difficult part of the cycle. Having had daily contact with your medical support staff during monitoring and retrieval, you suddenly are on your own after transfer and just have to wait.

How painful is an IVF procedure?

In most cases, IVF injections are not much painful. There is a stinging sensation but that isn't anything to be bothered about. The needles are too thin to cause any pain. You can ask your partner or even your friend to stay by your side when you administer the drugs through injections.

What is the hardest part of IVF?

Finding out if you're pregnant

Some people find it the hardest part of the treatment process. During this period, you may find it useful to speak to a counsellor through the fertility clinic, or to contact other people in a similar situation to you through the HealthUnlocked IVF community.

How to not let IVF take over your life?

Prioritize self-care.

Most of the time, normal life continues during your IVF cycle, and it can be difficult to manage what is required for IVF along with other stressors. While research suggests stress doesn't have an effect on IVF success, your well-being is reason enough to prioritize self-care.

Is IVF Procedure Painful? -Know From A Fertility Specialist #ivf -Dr. Shwetha Anand| Doctors' Circle

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Is IVF hard on the body?

All the hormone shots involved with IVF mean that you'll have lots more hormones than normal coursing through your body. That might leave you irritable, bloated, or even turned on. “As you're hormonal, you may feel like you want to have sex,” Eyvazzadeh explains.

What age should you stop IVF?

Therefore, any IVF cycle using autologous oocytes after the age of 45 should be accepted as futile and be discouraged. The number of mature eggs retrieved and the number of embryos available for transfer are the most important predictors of pregnancy and live birth after female age.

Who is a poor candidate for IVF?

Who is not a good candidate for IVF? In vitro fertilization may not work for everyone. Conditions that may interfere with IVF success include fibroid tumors, ovarian dysfunction, abnormal hormone levels, and uterine abnormalities. Women with these issues may face lower rates of pregnancy with IVF.

Are IVF pregnancies harder than natural?

Whether or not IVF pregnancy is different from a natural one is a subjective question; while women who have been under constant physical, emotional and financial pressures during IVF would find it a very tough thing to go through, doctors might actually manifest them to be at par with a natural pregnancy.

Which IVF injections hurt the most?

Intramuscular (IM) Injections

Common sites of IM injections include the shoulder, buttocks, and thighs. Intramuscular injections can be more painful than subcutaneous injections. Most patients report that they have a sharp, stinging pain that quickly subsides.

Does insurance cover IVF?

Major insurance providers such as Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, United Healthcare and Tricare offer a wide spectrum of fertility benefits, including IVF treatment; however, your employer has to purchase these features in order for you to be covered.

Why is egg retrieval so painful?

Because of the type of anesthesia that is used, patients do not feel any pain during the egg retrieval procedure. However, patients may experience abdominal cramping for a day or two after the procedure.

Are IVF babies normal?

It's important to remember that IVF children are just as physically and mentally normal as children conceived naturally. Despite any misconceptions, research and consultation with knowledgeable professionals can help dispel myths about IVF children.

What is the biggest risk of IVF?

From short term to longer term, these risks include:
  • Stress. IVF can be draining for the body, mind and finances. ...
  • Complications from the procedure to retrieve eggs. ...
  • Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome. ...
  • Miscarriage. ...
  • Ectopic pregnancy. ...
  • Multiple pregnancy. ...
  • Birth defects. ...
  • Premature delivery and low birth weight.

Why is IVF so exhausting?

Hormonal changes

If you're experiencing extra tiredness during IVF treatment, it's most likely due to a shift in hormone levels. IVF treatment involves taking a number of fertility drugs which will elevate certain hormone levels to get your body ready for pregnancy.

How hard is IVF on a woman?

IVF can be difficult — both physically and emotionally. Many people doing IVF treatment struggle with depression and anxiety. Infertility struggles and IVF can leave people feeling disappointed or overwhelmed. Talk with your healthcare provider about how you're feeling so they can offer support through the process.

Which gender is stronger in IVF?

The investigators offer insights into the grounds for their findings, citing references showing male embryos grow faster than females. They deduce that more male than female embryos may be transferred because males have higher morphology scales and are thus deemed more suited for success.

Do IVF babies look like mom or dad?

The possibility of the IVF resembling its mother is thin as a donor egg doesn't share any of its genes with its intended mother. Nonetheless, if the sperm used is that of her partner, the baby may look like its father. This is simply because both share the same genetics.

How old is the oldest IVF baby?

Louise Joy Brown (born 25 July 1978) is an English woman noted as the first human born following conception by in vitro fertilisation (IVF).

What disqualifies you from doing IVF?

Couples who are carriers of gene mutations, such as Tay-Sachs disease or cystic fibrosis. Couples who have chromosomal rearrangements that increase the risk for early pregnancy loss. Women and men facing fertility-harming cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy or radiation.

How do most people afford IVF?

If you have health Insurance, your plan may cover IVF. But coverage for IVF varies significantly from plan to plan, and not everyone is eligible for this type of coverage. Certain health plans may require that a person has an infertility diagnosis to qualify for coverage, for example.

Are IVF babies more likely to have disabilities?

The risk of a child with a birth defect in the general fertile population is roughly 3–5 percent. After an IVF cycle, the best current estimate is that the birth defect rate increases by approximately 1 percent.

Is 40 too late for IVF?

At age 40 and above women have reduced fertility potential as compared to that seen in younger women. They also have substantially lower success rates with fertility treatments including in vitro fertilization (IVF).

What is the maximum weight for IVF?

Many fertility treatment providers, including the NHS, require patients to have a body mass index within an optimal range of 19 – 30 before beginning IVF treatment. Some providers have a more limited BMI range, from 19 – 25. If you are unsure, it is best to consult your provider directly.

Who is the oldest woman to get pregnant naturally with her own eggs?

In both cases, the children were conceived through IVF with donor eggs. The oldest verified mother to conceive naturally (listed currently as of 26 January 2017 in the Guinness Records) is Dawn Brooke (Guernsey); she conceived a son at the age of 59 in 1997.