Onward Babe
← Back to your Path

Let's get you ready

You're doing IVF · no details given · change answers
Email me my appointment questions We'll email you a link to your IVF questions — plus what to bring and which tests to ask about — so they're on your phone in the exam room. You'll also get What's Next, our monthly email. Unsubscribe any time.

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Questions to ask

  • Which protocol am I on and why did you choose it for me? What would make you change it mid-cycle?
  • What number of eggs and embryos would you consider a good result for someone like me?
  • Are you recommending ICSI, and if so, why in my case?
  • Do you recommend PGT-A for me, what would it change, and what does it cost?
  • Fresh or frozen transfer, and how many embryos? What's your single-embryo-transfer policy?
  • What is the plan if this cycle doesn't result in a pregnancy: another retrieval, another transfer, or a change of approach?
  • What is our timeline? At what point would you change the approach if this isn't working?
  • Who do I contact with questions between appointments, and how quickly should I expect a reply?
  • Can I get copies of all my results and notes? (You're entitled to them.)
  • Which of these tests and treatments are typically covered, and can your office help me check my benefits before we start?

Things to bring

  • Your medication schedule and any questions about doses or timing
  • A log of side effects, especially bloating, pain, or shortness of breath
  • Your prior cycle summary if this isn't your first
  • Questions about costs of add-ons before agreeing to them

Tests to ask about

  • Your protocol. Which medications, why this protocol for you, and what a good response looks like.
  • Monitoring. How often you'll come in, what they're measuring (follicle count and size, estradiol), and when the trigger decision is made.
  • Retrieval and fertilization. Expected egg numbers, conventional fertilization vs. ICSI and why, and what 'mature' and 'fertilized' numbers mean.
  • Embryo development. What day-3 and day-5 updates mean, how embryos are graded, and how many are expected to reach blastocyst.
  • PGT-A. What it can and can't tell you, its cost, and whether it's likely to change decisions for you.
  • Transfer. Fresh vs. frozen, how many embryos (single embryo transfer is standard), and the medications after transfer.
  • Cancellation. What would cause a cycle to be cancelled and what the financial policy is if that happens.

Nail this down before you leave

  • Which step you're in and exactly what happens at the next visit
  • Your egg, fertilization, and embryo numbers as they come in, and what they mean
  • Whether PGT-A and any add-ons are recommended for you specifically, with reasons
  • What you should call about immediately (severe pain, rapid weight gain, difficulty breathing)

Questions that work in any appointment

These four apply to any test, any treatment, any recommendation — and they're the ones that turn a pronouncement into a decision you're part of.

  • Does this evidence apply to my situation specifically?
  • What would this test change about our plan?
  • What are the benefits, the risks, and the alternatives?
  • What would make you recommend a different approach?

If they say everything looks normal

  • Which of the standard tests have actually been done, and which haven't?
  • If everything is normal, what would you look at next, and when?
  • Is there anything in my history that would make you consider additional testing?
  • What's the plan from here, and at what point would you change it?

What happens next

After retrieval, the embryology updates decide the next step: how many fertilized, how many reached blastocyst, and (if tested) how many are chromosomally normal.

After transfer, the beta result and its trend decide what happens next. A positive test moves you into monitored early pregnancy (the early pregnancy Path); a negative one leads to a review conversation with your doctor, which you're entitled to have in detail.

If a cycle doesn't work, ask for a formal review: what went as expected, what didn't, and what would change next time. That conversation is often where the plan improves.

Notes from the appointment

Onward Babe is educational, not medical advice. Everything here is built from published research and professional guidelines so you can have a better conversation with the doctor who actually knows your situation.