Frequently Asked Questions

Most patients should expect minimal, if any, side effects from the In Vitro Fertilization medications. You should be able to continue with your everyday activities during your treatment.

It takes approximately 6 to 8 weeks from the beginning of your treatment to egg retrieval and embryo transfer.

Since we use strong pain and relaxation medications, your egg retrieval should be very comfortable. Most patients will sleep through the 5-10 minute procedure. Some may experience minimal menstrual-like cramping.

In the Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection procedure, a single sperm is inserted directly into the center of an egg. ICSI has been used extensively since 1993, and approximately 2 million babies have been born worldwide without significant side effects using ICSI.

You may consider adding Pre-implantation Genetic Testing (PGT) to your In Vitro Fertilization or Donor Egg IVF treatment. If you do, you will not need to do amniocentesis if you conceive.
Adding PGT to these treatments has not been shown to reliably improve the probability of a successful outcome, but it can reduce the probability of a miscarriage.

We follow the recommendation of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine that most patients should transfer only one or two embryos. We will always provide guidance, but you will have the final say in whether to transfer one or two embryos.

It is not recommended from the conception point of view. Recent studies showed that resting after embryo transfer decreases the probability of implantation. You should start moving around immediately after your transfer.

Yes! We are proud of being one of the first Northern California fertility clinics to provide In Vitro Fertilization for lesbian partners. We are a very friendly LGBTQ+ fertility clinic quite versed in lesbian In Vitro Fertilization and Reciprocal IVF.

It is important that you do not wait too long before seeing an infertility specialist. Please note that there is no distinction between having unprotected intercourse and “trying” to conceive. They both represent “exposure” to conception.

35 or younger  12 months

36 – 37             9 months

38 – 39             6 months

40 – 41             3 months

42 and older     Immediately

Your state of reproductive health can play an important role when trying to conceive. Please review the IVF Diet and Lifestyle (PDF) document and follow the recommendations as closely as possible.

The decision of which treatment is the most appropriate for you is based on your past reproductive history, the results of your fertility testing, and the outcome of any previous reproductive treatments you may have had. You may need In Vitro Fertilization treatment if any of the following apply to you:

History of tubal blockage and pelvic adhesions

Male Factor Infertility

Infertility associated with endometriosis

Infertility associated with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCO)

Unexplained infertility

Long-standing infertility: no contraception for more than a year and a half

Decreasing “ovarian reserve”: IVF may be the most appropriate treatment for women over the age of 37.

You did not become pregnant with intrauterine insemination (IUI) cycles.

You did not become pregnant with ovarian stimulation cycles with oral or injectable medications.

Sonohysterogram (saline ultrasound, water ultrasound) is an essential part of treatment prerequisites. It evaluates the health of the endometrial cavity.

The endometrial cavity must be free of polyps, scarring, and myomas (fibroids) before any treatment can be initiated. Any of these structures inside the uterus could significantly compromise the likelihood of embryo implantation.

Sonohysterogram is a quick and mostly painless procedure at Bay IVF. A thin, soft catheter is passed through the cervix into the uterus, and a small amount of sterile saline solution is gently instilled. A transvaginal ultrasound is used to confirm the absence of polyps, scarring, or fibroids inside the uterus.

The probability of a successful IVF treatment becomes exceedingly low by age 44. You must be 43 and 11 months or younger at the time your IVF treatment begins. Patients who are 44 and older should strongly consider Donor Egg IVF as the most effective treatment option to achieve a successful pregnancy.

You do not. At Bay IVF, we do not discriminate based on marital and family status, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, or genetic characteristics.

Although the IVF procedure has by now become almost standardized, there are still subtle differences among IVF centers. Such slight differences may play a significant role for some patients. Therefore, we do not recommend doing more than three unsuccessful IVF cycles at any one clinic. If you have not succeeded, it is time to move on.

Unfortunately, yes. Increased maternal weight can have a profound negative effect on the IVF procedure and its outcome:

More medication needed to stimulate the ovaries

Lower egg quality

The safety of the egg retrieval procedure

Decreased uterine receptivity

Increased risk of baby’s heart defects

At Bay IVF, we recommend that patients adhere to our reproductive health guidelines (PDF). They can optimize health, may improve the quality of eggs and sperm, and would result in a gradual weight loss and arriving at one’s ideal BMI.

The Frozen Embryo Transfer (FET) procedure is much shorter than an In Vitro Fertilization cycle. It usually takes only 5-7 weeks to complete a cycle of FET, and only two clinic visits are needed.

There is no time limit on storing cryopreserved eggs or embryos. They are stored in liquid nitrogen at close to absolute zero degrees temperature and do not age.

Your uterus does not “grow old.” Theoretically, there is no limit on the age of the recipient mother of frozen-thawed eggs or embryos.

Since pregnancy complications, not related to the uterus, increase significantly with age and could compromise the mother’s and baby’s health, you must be 48 and 11 months or younger at the time of transfer of your frozen-thawed eggs or embryos at Bay IVF.

Treatments that require ovarian stimulation (IVF) require a resting cycle before another cycle of treatment can begin. Whether you rest your ovaries just for one or several menstrual cycles does not make a difference. Other treatments (Donor Egg IVF, Frozen Embryo Transfer) do not require a resting cycle, and your new treatment cycle can start right away.

We typically do not recommend more than three cycles of IVF and Donor Egg IVF treatment. The number of treatment cycles you should plan for is ultimately a personal choice, but we will help you with your decision.

The lower the probability of a successful outcome per treatment cycle, the more treatment cycles you should be planning for. Most patients can increase their cumulative pregnancy probability by having more than one cycle of treatment.

Once you have completed your treatment prerequisites, we will be able to estimate your probability of success and help you with your decision.

Bay IVF has partnered with Future Family offering easy, personal, and affordable fertility care financing. Their mission is to make fertility care more accessible and affordable. Future Family loans are an alternative to high-interest credit cards and dipping into your savings.

They offer 0% APR financing for those that are eligible, as well as low monthly payment plans. Prequalifying is risk-free, easy, and will not affect your credit score.

They can help you navigate the sometimes challenging financial journey and answer all your financial loan questions. Future Family lessens your “how am I going to pay for my treatment costs” stress, which allows you to enter your treatment focusing solely on growing your family.

Semen evaluation

Ovarian reserve testing

Evaluation of the Uterus

Testing Required by the State of California and FDA

Any patient undergoing ovulation induction is at risk of developing OHSS, although some more than others. Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome may be classified as mild, moderate, or severe by symptoms and signs.

The symptoms usually begin four to five days after the egg retrieval. A majority of women have a mild or moderate form of the syndrome, which invariably resolves within a few days. Patients may complain of abdominal discomfort and mild abdominal swelling. In a small proportion of women, the degree of discomfort can be pronounced. If a pregnancy occurs, it may delay recovery.

There may be more embryos than the future parents wish to have transferred. It is possible to cryopreserve (freeze, vitrify) these embryos and store them in liquid nitrogen. The majority of the embryos will survive the cryopreservation and thawing process. The implantation rate of the surviving embryos is similar to the “fresh” embryos.

There is an extensive number of published reports documenting no correlation between children conceived with medical intervention and birth defects. These are real and natural babies; they will kick, spit-up, scream, and keep you up all night just like any other baby.

Up to 25% of all infertile patients will have a diagnosis of unexplained (idiopathic) infertility. This diagnosis means that, in spite of exhaustive fertility evaluation, there is no apparent cause of infertility.

Most of these patients have infertility factor(s) involving the eggs, sperm, and Fallopian tubes, but their testing has not yet uncovered this information. Infertility related to the egg quality factor represents most of the “unexplained” infertility since it is the most difficult one to diagnose.

In Vitro Fertilization is the most common treatment for patients with unexplained infertility.

Endometriosis is a condition in which endometrial cells of the inner uterine lining can be found outside the uterus.

When there is a history of infertility, the female partner may have a laparoscopy. One-third of the time, endometriosis is found. The same incidence has been found in women undergoing laparoscopy for non-infertility reasons.

This finding, together with the lack of consistent scientific evidence that surgical or medical removal of endometriosis increases the probability of pregnancy, has led some clinicians to believe that endometriosis is merely a sign of another underlining cause of infertility.

A severe degree of endometriosis causes scarring around the Fallopian tubes and ovaries and can be an infertility factor.

t is estimated that perhaps 5% to 15% of all women are born with some degree of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Most of these women will never know since they will be able to conceive. These women have a mild degree of PCOS.

Women with more severe PCOS will, at least temporarily, lose the regularity of their menstruations (become anovulatory) and may need medical help to conceive. In its most severe forms, polycystic ovarian syndrome can make it quite difficult for a woman to ovulate and conceive, even with ovarian stimulation.

This lack of ovulation is accompanied by a hormonal imbalance which, in some women, involves abnormal insulin production and glucose metabolism.

We utilize a combination of transvaginal ultrasound examination of the ovaries and an assessment of reproductive hormones levels: Ovarian Reserve Assay (ORA) to estimate your “biological age.” The results of these tests will determine the most appropriate treatment for you.

The ultrasound examination of your ovaries determines the number of antral follicles (seen as small dark circles) within each ovary. The number of antral follicles is related to the quality of the eggs. Ideally, there should be approximately a total of 20 antral follicles in both ovaries.

ORA assesses the likelihood that normal-quality eggs can be produced. It consists of the measurement of Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH), estradiol (estrogen, E2), and Anti-Mullerian Hormone (AMH) blood levels.

“Premature ovarian failure refers to a loss of normal function of the ovaries before age 40. The ovaries can no longer produce normal quality eggs and female hormones estrogen and progesterone.

There is no known cure for premature ovarian failure, and most patients will need Donor Egg IVF treatment to conceive successfully.”

Uterine lining receptivity does not have a profound effect on the success of infertility treatments. The issue of uterine lining receptivity and its effect on pregnancy is one of the most frequently asked questions by our patients.

Studies that would implicate uterine receptivity as a major factor in infertility treatment success are lacking. On the other hand, there is evidence suggesting that the role of uterine lining receptivity as a decisive factor in human conception is limited.

Assisted embryo hatching is a laboratory procedure that creates a “weak spot” in the eggshell of an embryo. For selected embryos, this increases the likelihood of the embryo being able to hatch out, implant, and result in a baby.

Assisted Hatching is a microsurgical procedure. Using a specially designed laser, a tiny hole is created in the eggshell. This procedure does not harm the embryo.

All future parents should consider genetic screening for over a hundred most common genetic diseases. Please let us know at the time of your initial appointment at Bay IVF if you wish to have your blood sample sent for genetic screening.

Carrier Genetic Screening is an important part of family planning. It can help you understand your risk of having a child with a genetic disease.

Typically carriers are healthy individuals, but when two parents are carriers of the same genetic disease, they can have a child affected with it. Unfortunately, most people do not know they are carriers until they have a child born with the disease.

Two recent studies found an increase in the conception rate among women undergoing acupuncture. A third study did not find a statistically significant improvement. It is possible to conclude from the available studies that acupuncture is safe for women undergoing advanced reproductive treatments.

This will probably not disturb your treatment. If you realize that you missed a dose before your next Lupron injection is due, take the missed dose when you remember and continue with your regular schedule. If you realize that you missed a dose when your next Lupron injection is due, skip the missed dose, do not double up, and continue with your regular schedule.

You can take Tylenol, Sudafed (regular), and Robitussin DM. Please contact our office if you need to take any other medications.

Yes, you can take the injectable form of the flu vaccine.

Once pregnancy is achieved, we recommend that you do not eat uncooked fish (e.g., sushi) or undercooked shellfish, eggs, or meat.

To prevent becoming infected with toxoplasmosis, an infection that isn’t serious for you but can pose a danger to your developing baby. You should not change the litter of a cat litter box once you become pregnant. We also recommend that you use gloves and a mask when you garden. Be cautious around the sand in parks or playgrounds.

Once your embryos have been transferred, we recommend that you do not dye your hair through the first trimester.

Once your ovarian stimulation starts, we recommend that you do not soak in a hot tub or use a sauna, due to the possible detrimental effect of high temperature.

You could, but it is not required that you do. Most patients will be able to continue their everyday lifestyles during their treatment.

Over the years, we have streamlined and simplified the process of In Vitro Fertilization to minimize interference with your lifestyle. As a result, an IVF treatment cycle can take as little as six to eight weeks and only requires a few brief visits to the Clinic.

You may want to take off the afternoon of your egg retrieval day, and that should be all the time off you should need.

Insurance plans vary widely. To determine if you have coverage for infertility treatments, we can call your insurance provider to confirm what benefits are available. You may also consider getting a loan for your fertility treatment.

Yes, you do. You may need to call on your OB/GYN for procedures related to your IVF treatment that are not part of your IVF treatment. An example might be an endometrial polyp removal if polyps are found during your prerequisites for IVF. You will also be referred to your obstetrician once your IVF treatment has been successful.