IVF Stages: What Happens in Each Step of Fertility Treatment

When you start thinking about IVF, in vitro fertilization is a medical process where eggs are retrieved, fertilized in a lab, and transferred back into the uterus to achieve pregnancy. Also known as test tube baby treatment, it’s one of the most common fertility solutions for couples in India struggling with infertility. But IVF isn’t a single step—it’s a series of clearly defined IVF stages, the structured phases that make up a full fertility treatment cycle. Each stage has a purpose, timing, and potential side effects. Knowing them helps you ask the right questions, manage expectations, and reduce anxiety.

The first stage is ovarian stimulation, the process of using hormone injections to get multiple eggs to mature at once. This usually lasts 8–12 days, and you’ll have regular ultrasounds and blood tests to track progress. Then comes egg retrieval, a minor procedure under sedation where eggs are collected from the ovaries using a thin needle. After that, the lab takes over: sperm is mixed with eggs for fertilization, either through standard mixing or direct injection (ICSI). The resulting embryos grow for 3–5 days before the next step: embryo transfer, where one or two embryos are placed into the uterus using a thin catheter. No surgery, no scars—just a quick, painless office visit.

What happens after transfer? You wait. The two-week wait is the hardest part. Some clinics offer a blood test at day 10, others at day 14. Your body might feel bloated, tired, or crampy—but those aren’t reliable signs of success. The only thing that matters is the test result. And if the first cycle doesn’t work? Many couples try again. Success rates drop with age, especially after 35, but the IVF stages stay the same. What changes is your plan: maybe more medication, different embryo selection, or adding genetic testing like PGT-A to pick the healthiest embryos.

You’ll find posts here that break down the real numbers behind IVF success rate, how likely you are to get pregnant on the first try, based on age and clinic data. Others cover the emotional toll, the cost breakdowns, and whether gender selection is even legal in India. There are also honest takes on the risks—like higher chances of preterm birth or low birth weight—that aren’t scary, but you need to know them. And if you’re wondering if you can avoid IVF altogether, there are posts on alternatives too. This isn’t a sales pitch. It’s a collection of real experiences, medical facts, and clear explanations from people who’ve been through it—or are still going through it.