IVF Treatment

Completing IVF with or without PGT with the Fertility Institute of Hawaii

How do our International Patients in Japan, Korea, China, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Europe, South American and elsewhere initiate the IVF Cycle?

Depending on your fertility cycle plan and needs, it is important to realize that there are many options for starting, monitoring and completing a fertility cycle.  We will discuss your individual treatment plan and develop the best protocol to meet your needs.

You have the option of being in Hawaii for your entire cycle (approximately 3 to 4 weeks) or you can have your initial cycle monitoring done with your local fertility doctor. We would recommend that you spend the final week or two of your cycle in Hawaii so that we can complete your monitoring, egg retrieval, and embryo transfer.  

We recommend you travel to Hawaii at least 4-6 days prior to your egg retrieval. Final ultrasound studies and blood hormone evaluation will be performed during this period to determine the exact date and time of optimal egg development. When your eggs are ready, you will be scheduled for an egg retrieval.   Unless we have frozen sperm or you are using donor sperm, your husband/partner must be present on the day of egg retrieval to provide a semen specimen that will be used to fertilize the eggs with Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI).

Embryo Transfer

Fresh embryo transfers occur after 3 to 5 days of embryo growth in the laboratory following your egg retrieval.  If you are undergoing Pre-implantation Genetic Testing (PGT), your embryos will be cryopreserved until you return for the embryo transfer.  You can return home the day after the embryo transfer. At this time, you will receive instructions about which medications you may need to begin or to continue taking.  Your IVF Coordinator will work closely with you to provide as much advance notice as possible about your travel dates.

Pregnancy Test

Approximately 10 days after the embryo transfer, you will have a blood pregnancy test performed by your local doctor. These tests will be sent to us the same day, so we can inform you of the results. If you are pregnant we will continue to work with you and your local doctor to coordinate the pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, lab work, and medications that are necessary to maximize your chance of maintaining a successful pregnancy.