Causes & Treatment
Is it Better Not to Take a Break Between IVF Cycles?
Eloise Edington | 14 Jan 2022
Towards the end of last year, FHH asked: “Is it better to take breaks between IVF cycles?” As we begin 2022, I’d like to present a case for not taking a break during fertility treatment.
Ultimately, the decision is yours and is best discussed with your doctor but there can be compelling reasons for taking the shortest suggested break between fertility treatment – as I found out through my own fertility journey in 2021.
By Holly Pigache
Before I give reasons why not to take a break between fertility treatment, let me state medical advice: The minimum recommended gap between IVF cycles is four to six weeks with a menstrual bleed in between. So by referring to “no break”, I mean having the minimum break of four to six weeks (as female fertility treatment works with ovulation and menstrual cycles).
There are many good reasons why take a break between IVF cycles:
- Finances
- Mental wellbeing
- Giving your body a break
- Any other reason you want to pause fertility treatment.
To read the article about taking a break between IVF cycles, click here.
So why not take a break between cycles?
Reasons not to take a break between IVF rounds
- You’ve spent three months preparing your body for IVF. You’re on all the necessary supplements, you’re having fertility acupuncture, you’ve cut out booze and are eating like a goddess.
- You’re also tired of popping pills every day (they’re making you gassy, bloated, tired, depressed and, and, and), you’re not loving the fertility acupuncture (though you know it’s helping), you’d quite like to have a glass of wine with your friend or partner and blimey do you miss chocolate, sticky doughnuts and cups of tea.
- You’ve worked so hard to prepare for IVF, coming off the meds and supplements only to start them again in six or seven months’ time feels rather depressing.
This is certainly how I felt after my first round of IVF in August. I considered taking a break, but my body had taken what felt like forever to adjust to the Metformin (thanks, PCOS) and I was feeling bloated and not like myself. I wanted to stop the meds and not go back on them, so I ploughed on and had my next cycle of IVF about six weeks later.
For me, undergoing egg collection and creating embryos without a break between IVF cycles was absolutely the right decision. IVF (and all that comes with it) can be laborious and I wanted to have eggs collected and embryos in the freezer before I turned 30 in December. Whilst I’m aware this is a fortunate position to be in – and if I was going through embryo transfer and the 2WW, I may well have made a different decision – it’s important to understand why someone might not take a break as well as why they might.
