So, you’re starting IVF (or thinking about it) and feeling slightly overwhelmed? Totally normal.
Whether you’ve been trying for months (or years), are navigating infertility, or exploring solo or same-sex parenthood, IVF can feel like stepping into a world of syringes, hormones, acronyms, and very early morning clinic visits.
So let’s break it all down so you know what to expect if this is the route you choose...
What Is IVF, Exactly?
IVF stands for in vitro fertilization, which basically means fertilizing an egg outside of the body (in a lab) and then transferring the resulting embryo back into the uterus. It's high-tech, but it’s also a fairly common fertility treatment. In fact, as of 2025, over 12 million babies worldwide have been born through IVF and that number is growing every year.
What’s the IVF Process Actually Like?
Here’s a simplified timeline of what to expect:
1. Prep + Bloodwork + Baseline Ultrasounds
Before anything starts, your fertility clinic will do some digging: bloodwork, a transvaginal ultrasound, hormone panels, maybe a semen analysis if you’re working with a partner. This helps map out your protocol.
2. Stimulation Phase ("The Injections Part")
This is where daily hormone injections come in (usually for 8–14 days). The goal? Get your ovaries to produce multiple mature eggs instead of the one you’d naturally ovulate. You’ll have regular ultrasounds and blood tests to monitor how your follicles are growing. Yes, you inject yourself (or have someone help you) and it can feel like a lot at first.
3. Trigger Shot
Once your eggs are ready, you’ll get a “trigger” shot (usually hCG or Lupron) to prepare your body for retrieval. Timing is crucial, your clinic will be very specific about when to take this.
4. Egg Retrieval
This is a quick procedure under sedation. The doctor retrieves the eggs from your ovaries using an ultrasound-guided needle. Most people feel crampy and bloated for a few days afterward. You’ll usually find out how many eggs were retrieved the same day.
5. Fertilization + Embryo Development
Your eggs are combined with sperm in the lab, and if all goes well, fertilization happens overnight. Then, the lab monitors the embryos for 3–5 days. Not every egg fertilizes, and not every embryo makes it to Day 5 (blastocyst stage) and that’s completely normal.
6. Embryo Transfer
If you’re doing a fresh transfer, one embryo is placed into your uterus about 3–5 days after retrieval. If it’s a frozen transfer, you’ll wait a bit longer because your embryo is frozen and transferred during a later cycle. The transfer itself is quick and usually painless (kind of like a pap).
7. The Two-Week Wait
This is arguably the hardest part, waiting to find out if the embryo implanted. You can always test for pregnancy at home when the time comes, but your clinic will schedule a blood test (called a beta hCG) to confirm pregnancy. It’s a long two weeks. Be gentle with yourself.
How Much Does IVF Cost?
In Canada, IVF is not universally covered. Costs vary province to province and clinic to clinic, but on average:
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One IVF cycle: $10,000–$20,000 CAD
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Medications: $3,000–$7,000 CAD
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Some provinces (like Ontario) offer funding for a single round, others don’t. It's worth checking your provincial health website or clinic for coverage info.
What IVF Feels Like
It’s a lot. Not just physically (bloating, hormone swings, bruised bellies), but emotionally too. It can bring up grief, hope, anxiety and joy, all in one week. If you’re doing IVF, you’re not alone. You don’t need to pretend it’s easy and you don’t need to do it all perfectly. Lean on your support system, ask questions and rest when you can.
Final Thoughts
IVF can be empowering, brutal, magical, and exhausting all at once. On this World IVF Day, we’re celebrating every person who’s walked this path: the hopeful, the heartbroken, the still-waiting and the finally-pregnant.
Whatever your IVF journey looks like, we're here to support you with products that empower your fertility journey at every stage.
Want to learn more about ovulation testing, cycle tracking, or preparing for IVF? Book a 1:1 session with our Fertility Nutritionist here.