What Happens During an IVF Cycle: The Day-by-Day Timeline

Bottom line up front: A standard IVF cycle takes approximately four to six weeks from the first day of your period to your pregnancy test. Understanding what happens each day helps you plan your trip to Colombia, manage your expectations, and reduce the anxiety that comes from the unknown. Here is the complete timeline.

Before You Travel: The Preparation Phase (2–4 Weeks)

Your IVF cycle starts before you arrive in Colombia. After your virtual consultation, your clinic will order baseline bloodwork and an ultrasound, which you can complete at home. You may be prescribed birth control pills for two to four weeks to synchronize your cycle and allow precise scheduling of your stimulation start date. Some patients receive no pre-treatment depending on their protocol.

Days 1–2: Period Starts, Baseline Check

Day 1 is the first day of your period. You should be in Colombia by now or arriving within a day or two. Your clinic performs a baseline ultrasound to check that your ovaries are quiet (no large cysts) and bloodwork to confirm hormone levels are at baseline. If everything looks good, you begin stimulation injections that evening.

Days 2–5: Early Stimulation

You begin daily injections of gonadotropins (FSH, sometimes combined with LH). These are subcutaneous injections in the abdomen — the needle is small and most patients find them manageable after the first day. During this phase, you will feel largely normal. No clinic visits are typically required until day 5 or 6. This is a good time to settle into your accommodation, explore your neighborhood, and establish a routine.

Days 5–8: Monitoring Begins

Starting around day 5 or 6, you will have monitoring appointments every one to two days. Each visit includes a transvaginal ultrasound to measure follicle growth and a blood test to check estradiol levels. Based on these results, your clinic may adjust your medication dosage. Appointments typically take 30–60 minutes including wait time. The rest of each day is yours.

Days 8–12: Final Growth Phase

Monitoring becomes more frequent — often daily. Your follicles are approaching mature size (18–22mm). You may feel bloating, mild pelvic pressure, and increased fatigue as your ovaries enlarge with multiple follicles. This is normal but can be uncomfortable. When the majority of follicles reach the target size, your doctor will schedule the trigger shot.

Trigger Night (Typically Day 10–13)

The trigger injection (hCG or GnRH agonist) is precisely timed — your clinic will give you an exact time, often late evening. This injection triggers the final maturation of your eggs. Your egg retrieval will be scheduled exactly 34–36 hours after the trigger. The timing is critical — do not take the trigger early or late.

Retrieval Day (Day 12–15)

Egg retrieval is a minor surgical procedure performed under sedation. It takes 15–30 minutes. A thin needle guided by ultrasound aspirates follicular fluid containing the eggs. You will wake up and rest at the clinic for an hour or two, then return to your accommodation. Most patients experience cramping and mild discomfort for a day or two. Plan to rest for the remainder of the day.

Later that day, your clinic will tell you how many mature eggs were retrieved. If you are doing ICSI, the fertilization will happen that same day.

Days 1–5 Post-Retrieval: The Lab Phase

This is when the embryology lab takes over. You will receive daily updates on your embryos. Day 1 post-retrieval: fertilization check — how many eggs fertilized normally. Day 3: embryo development update — how many are still growing. Day 5–6: blastocyst assessment — how many reached the blastocyst stage. If you are doing PGT-A, biopsies are taken on day 5 or 6 and embryos are frozen while awaiting results.

Transfer Day (Day 5–6 Post-Retrieval for Fresh, or Separate Trip for Frozen)

For a fresh embryo transfer, your clinic selects the best embryo and transfers it using a thin catheter guided by ultrasound. The procedure takes 10–15 minutes and requires no sedation. You rest at the clinic for 15–30 minutes, then return to your accommodation. Most clinics recommend gentle activity for the rest of the day.

The Two-Week Wait (Days 1–14 Post-Transfer)

The hardest part. You continue progesterone supplementation and wait. Your beta (blood pregnancy test) is scheduled approximately 10–14 days after transfer. You can have this done at your Colombian clinic or at a lab back home.

Read more: Cost Guide | The Two-Week Wait | IVF in Medellín