IVF
Honest IVF success rates by age, IVF costing per cycle, stim protocols, embryo grading, PGT-A testing, and fresh vs frozen embryo transfer. Doctor-led, evidence-led.
The posts to read first.
21 min readThe Process of Egg Retrieval: Hour by Hour
An OB/GYN's step-by-step guide to the process of egg retrieval: the 36 hours before, what you'll feel during, what the lab is doing, and what to ask.
23 min readFrozen Embryo Transfer Explained: Fresh vs FET
A doctor's plain-English guide to embryo transfer, fresh vs frozen embryo transfer, day 3 vs day 5, single vs double, lining prep, and what to ask.
22 min readCoping with IVF Stress: A Doctor's Honest Guide
A doctor's evidence-based guide to coping with IVF stress: what actually helps, what is harmful, when to get clinical help, and what to expect.
20 min readFailed First IVF: What Next, According to a Doctor
Failed first IVF, what next: the five-bucket workup most REs run before cycle two, the add-ons with weak evidence, and what to ask at lessons-learned.
22 min readIVF Processing Step by Step: Full Timeline
A doctor's plain-English IVF processing map: every step from baseline labs to beta hCG, with the decisions you will be asked to make at each stage.
25 min readIVF Stimulation Phase: Days, Sex, Sleep, Red Flags
A doctor's day-by-day map of IVF stimulation: what your ovaries are doing, the shots, the bloating, sex during IVF stimulation, and the real red flags.
21 min readDay by Day IVF Process for the Partner: Stim to Transfer
Day by day IVF process map for the partner: injections, OHSS watch, retrieval logistics, sperm sample, the 5-day wait, and transfer-day choreography.
24 min readPGT-A Testing, PGT-M, PGT-SR: Which One and When
PGT-A testing screens chromosomes, PGT-M tests single genes, PGT-SR tests rearrangements. How each test works, what it costs, and when it's worth it.
Or pick a corner.
Egg Retrieval
2 posts
17 min readEgg Retrieval, How Many Eggs Is Good: By Age and AMH
Egg retrieval, how many eggs is good: an honest read by age and AMH, the funnel to euploid blastocyst, and why 15 is not a target across the board.
18 min readWhat to Avoid After Egg Retrieval: Day 0 to Day 7
What to avoid after egg retrieval, day by day: when the bloat peaks, what is normal for the period and mood, and when to call the clinic for OHSS.
Embryo Transfer
4 posts
19 min readDays After Egg Retrieval to Embryo Transfer Explained
How many days after egg retrieval is embryo transfer: the implantation timeline, what early symptoms mean, bed rest, food, red flags, and beta hCG.
18 min readDay of Embryo Transfer: Meds, Lining, and Logistics
Day of embryo transfer prep decoded: programmed vs natural FET, lining targets, progesterone choreography, day-of logistics, and which adjuncts have evidence.
16 min readFresh vs Frozen Embryo Transfer: Which One and Why
Fresh vs frozen embryo transfer decoded, the NEJM PCOS trial, OHSS prevention, FET protocols, perinatal data, and how to choose with your RE.
15 min readSingle vs Double Embryo Transfer: Twins and ASRM
Single vs double embryo transfer decoded, ASRM 2021 eSET guideline, euploid blastocyst math, twin pregnancy risk, and when DET is reasonable.
Failed IVF & Iteration
4 posts
19 min readCancelled IVF Cycle: Why It Happens and What's Next
A cancelled IVF cycle is a real loss without an embryo to mourn. Here are the five medical reasons, the financial picture, and what changes next time.
17 min readRecurrent Implantation Failure: What's Actually Going On
ESHRE redefined recurrent implantation failure in 2023. Here is the modern RIF workup, which add-ons to refuse, and what realistic next steps look like.
16 min readIVF Second Cycle Success Rate: What Changes and Why
Your IVF second cycle success rate depends on changing one variable, not five. Here is the data cycle one produced and the protocol changes that follow it.
17 min readWhen to Stop IVF: How Doctors Have the Conversation
When to stop IVF is a legitimate decision, not a failure. Here is the data that drives the conversation, the alternative paths, and how a good RE has it.
IVF Overview
3 posts
16 min readIVF Costing in the US: Per Cycle, Per Round, Per Baby
A doctor's honest map of IVF costing in the US 2024 to 2025: clinic fees, meds, PGT, FET, insurance mandates, and realistic per-baby totals.
17 min readIVF Success Rates: Age, Diagnosis, Donor Egg IVF
Honest IVF success rates from SART and CDC data: cumulative live birth per retrieval by age, donor egg IVF success rate, and how to read clinic numbers.
17 min readIVF Success Stories with PCOS: Why It Often Works
IVF success stories with PCOS rest on real biology: high egg yield, antagonist protocols, OHSS prevention, and why freeze-all is now standard per Chen 2016.
Ovarian Stimulation
3 posts
19 min readWhat to Expect During IVF Stimulation Injections
A doctor's practical guide to IVF injections: what to expect during IVF stimulation, station setup, technique, trigger night, and progesterone in oil.
17 min readHow Long Does an IVF Process Take: Stim Protocols
A doctor's guide to the five IVF stim protocols, how REs choose between them, trigger options, and how long does an IVF process take in real time.
15 min readPCOS IVF High Responder: More Eggs and OHSS Risk
PCOS IVF high responder biology: why PCOS produces high yields in IVF, the OHSS trade-off, egg quality, freeze-all rationale, and what to ask before stim.
PGT Testing
3 posts
17 min readEmbryo Grading: What the Numbers and Letters Mean
Embryo grading explained: Gardner scale numbers and letters, what 4AA vs 3BB means, and how grade interacts with PGT-A ploidy for transfer order.
17 min readPGT-A Testing Results: Euploid, Aneuploid, Mosaic
PGT-A testing results in plain English. What euploid, aneuploid, and mosaic mean on your IVF embryo report, with live-birth rates and what to ask your RE.
17 min readMosaic Embryo Transfer: Should You Do It in 2026
The mosaic embryo transfer decision in 2026: chromosome, percentage, segmental vs whole, and what Capalbo 2021 and PGDIS data show about live birth rates.
A note from Dr. Rumpa.
In vitro fertilisation is the most data-rich path in fertility care, and the honest IVF success rate per cycle by age, AMH, and diagnosis is what should drive every decision in the cycle. This journey walks the full IVF processing arc with the numbers a reproductive endocrinologist would actually quote.
Start with the map. IVF timelines week by week, how long the IVF process takes from start to finish, IVF costing per cycle in the US, and donor egg IVF success rate when autologous odds drop. Then the stim phase: what to expect during IVF stimulation, the dos and don'ts, sleep, sex, and bleeding questions, plus IVF with PCOS as a high responder and OHSS symptoms after egg retrieval that count as red flags.
Procedure day next. The process of egg retrieval hour by hour, egg retrieval how many eggs is good by age and AMH, and what to avoid after egg retrieval through day 7. Lab side: embryo grading, PGT-A testing results meaning euploid, aneuploid, and mosaic, and whether mosaic embryo transfer makes sense in 2026.
Then the transfer fork. Fresh vs frozen embryo transfer, day of embryo transfer lining and meds, single vs double embryo transfer and the ASRM guideline, and the first days after transfer. Finally, the hard chapters: cancelled IVF cycle, failed first IVF what next, recurrent implantation failure, IVF second cycle success rate, coping with IVF stress, and when to stop IVF.
Just the protocol, the numbers, and the decision points.
Keep moving.
Next · Stage 08
Two-week wait
When to test, real symptoms vs progesterone, surviving it.
Continue