Navigating Your IVF Cycle - When a cycle is offered:

The IVF set up nurse will call to offer you a cycle of IVF when we have space for you and all of your testing is done. You will likely hear from the nurse the beginning of the week following your period. The nurse will give you the following information:

A) An outline of the planned treatment schedule. Some dates will be known at this time, some will be estimated.

B) When you need to be in Calgary if you live out of town.

C) When you need to pay for the IVF cycle - this will be the week following this phone call.

D) There are cancellation charges if you accept treatment and then change your mind or have to cancel for some reason. These are required to cover the clinic's costs. If you cancel before your start medications the cost is $600. If you cancel after starting medication the cost is $1000. The set up nurse will review these with you. Please be sure you are prepared to go ahead with IVF before you say yes.

E) The nurse will discuss where you wish to purchase your medications.

F) A timetable and other papers will be mailed to you or sent with your medications if you purchase them from the RFP Pharmacy.

Once you have agreed to treatment your chart leaves the set up desk. You can no longer phone the set up nurse desk extension as your chart will not be there for the nurse. Please call and leave a message in the IVF Program nurses mailbox if you need to call. They will pull your chart and call you back.

	Starting my Standard IVF Cycle
	Starting my Flare IVF Cycle
	Starting my Antagonist IVF Cycle
	Monitoring during my IVF Cycle

What happens when my eggs are ready for retrieval?

Starting my Standard IVF Cycle

A) You will be given a date to start your Suprefact® nasal spray. You will use one spray in each nostril 5 time a day (every four hours while awake), for example: 7 am, 11 am, 3 pm, 7 pm, and 11 pm. You will also start taking 1 baby aspirin (81 mg) a day at this time. You will receive a timetable either in the mail or with your medications with this information on it.

B) You will be using this spray for approximately two weeks before having a pelvic ultrasound. The set up nurse will have told you what date to have your pelvic ultrasound. Please note: You will very likely have a period while on Suprefact®. If you are still having bleeding at the time of ultrasound, do not be concerned. This is normal. If you have not had a period, please proceed with the ultrasound as well.

C) If you are in Calgary this appointment has been arranged at the clinic. You are to show up at 8 am for both a blood test and an ultrasound. You may be at the clinic for up to 2 hours - be prepared. Blood tests and ultrasounds are done on a first come, first served basis. If you are out of Calgary you may have this pelvic ultrasound in your home town on the date given to you by the set up nurse. You will not need a blood test. You need to arrange this ultrasound with your family doctor or gynecologist. We need to get the results of the ultrasound the same day. Please have them faxed to 403-284-9633.

D) Once the results are reviewed and are normal you will start your injections (FSH) within 1-3 days. The nurse will review this timetable with you. She will tell when to start the injections, what to do with the Suprefact® and when to start the antibiotics. You must speak to a nurse at this point. She will also tell you when to come for your next appointment.

Starting my Flare IVF Cycle

A) To start a FLARE cycle we need to wait for your next period. During this time you will receive a timetable in the mail. When your period comes, phone it in to the period hotline as usual. Keep your timetable handy. A nurse will call you within 1-2 days with instructions. You will start your birth control pill on the fifth day of your period. As well you will start taking a baby aspirin (81 mg). The nurse will give you a date for your pelvic ultrasound.

B) If you are in Calgary this appointment has been arranged at the clinic. You are to show up at 8 am for both a blood test and an ultrasound. You may be at the clinic for up to 2 hours - be prepared. Blood tests and ultrasounds are done on a first come, first served basis. If you are out of Calgary you may have this pelvic ultrasound in your home town on the date given to you by the set up nurse. You will not need a blood test. You will need to arrange this ultrasound with your family doctor or gynecologist. We need to get the results of the ultrasound the same day. Please have them faxed to 403-284-9633.

C) Once the results are reviewed and are normal you will finish your pack of birth control pills. The nurse will review the timetable with you. She will tell you when to start the Suprefact® injections. You must speak to a nurse at this point. She will also tell you to call in by a certain date to report whether you have had a period.

Starting my Antagonist IVF Cycle

A) To start an Antagonist cycle we need to wait for your next period. During this time you will receive a timetable in the mail. When your period comes, phone it in to the period hotline as usual. Keep your timetable handy. A nurse will call you the same day with instructions. You will need an ultrasound the next day.

B) If you are in Calgary this appointment will be arranged at the clinic. You are to show up at 8 am for both a blood test and an ultrasound. You may be at the clinic for up to 2 hours - be prepared. Blood tests and ultrasounds are done on a first come, first served basis. If you are out of Calgary you may have this pelvic ultrasound in your home town on teh date given to you by the nurse (Day 2 of your period). You will not need a blood test. You need to arrange this ultrasound with your family doctor or gynceologist. We need to get the results of the ultrasound the same day. Please have them faxed to 403-284-9633. This may be difficult to arrange on such short notice. You can always come to Calgary for this ultrasound.

C) Once the results are reviewed and are normal the nurse will review your timetable with you. She will tell when to start the injections (FSH) and when to start taking baby aspirin (81 mg). You must speak to a nurse at this point. She will also tell you when to come for your next appointment.

Monitoring during my IVF Cycle

Most women will need between 3 and 7 visits to the clinic to monitor the growing follicles on her ovaries while taking the injections. Each woman responds differently to the medicine so it is impossible to tell how many visits you will need. The doctors and nurses will give you as much information as they can at each visit so you can plan your life. If you need a blood test you need to be at the clinic at 8 am. We take people in the order they arrive. If you need an ultrasound as well, that ultrasound will happen after the blood test. As we see many patients in the morning you may have to wait awhile - be prepared. All our ultrasounds are done vaginally. There will be a nurse in the room with you and the doctor. Having an empty bladder is best.