How long does IVF in Cyprus take?

At the EuroCARE IVF center, there are two options for your IVF treatment. Once you have successfully completed the first two steps (fertility testing and ovarian stimulation) in you home country, you can proceed with the IVF treatment at our IVF clinic in Cyprus. Alternatively, you can come to Cyprus for an entire cycle of IVF. We want you to choose the option that is most comfortable and convenient for you. The treatment will take about 15 – 20 days (including the time for fertility testing).

This is an overview of the IVF Cyprus process step by step for each option:

Option 1

Day 1 – First day of menstruation

Day 2 or 3– Stimulation injections 

Day 9 – Fly to Cyprus

Day 10/11 – Initial Scan and hCG trigger injection

Day 13 – Egg and sperm collection

Day 16 – 3-day embryo transfer, OR

Day 18 – 5-day embryo transfer

Option 2

If you wish to come to Cyprus for the full treatment, patients must arrive on day two or three of your menstrual cycle and stay for approximately 15-20 days depending on your egg development.

Day 1 – First day of menstruation

Day 2 or 3 – Stimulation injections begin

Day 10/11 – Initial Scan and hCG trigger injection

Day 13 – Egg and sperm collection

Day 16 – 3-day embryo transfer, OR

Day 18 – 5-day embryo transfer

How Long Does IVF In Cyprus Take From First Appointment?

IVF in Cyprus is not a single treatment, but a series of procedures that follow a certain order to ensure a positive outcome. An average cycle of IVF at our clinic in Cyprus takes about 20 days. The path to parenthood via IVF is pretty similar for all patients who struggle with infertility. The only difference is the response of your ovaries to fertility drugs used during the ovarian stimulation phase.

What To Expect At My First IVF Consultation?

Initial IVF consultations are a great opportunity to have all your questions answered and your concerns addressed. At your first appointment, our fertility specialist, will review the information you have provided and discuss the results of any previous fertility test and/or treatment you have undergone.

Depending on your test results, our specialist will recommend a personalized treatment plan for your medical condition and you will be prescribed fertility drugs to stimulate your ovaries to produce multiple eggs. The EuroCARE IVF doctor will determine the type of medication protocol for your ovarian stimulation, and the list and dosage of fertility drugs to be taken during this phase. You will also discuss the likely success rates and benefits of your fertility treatment.

What Is IVF Treatment In Cyprus?

IVF in Cyprus is a fertility treatment in which eggs are retrieved from the woman’s ovaries and fertilized with the sperm in our EuroCARE IVF laboratory. The resulting embryos are assessed for quality, and one or more are transferred on day 3 or day 5 after fertilization.

IVF in Cyprus is the most commonly used and most successful advanced fertility treatment, accounting for more than 99 percent of all assisted reproductive technology (ART) procedures with success rates that range between 70 and 80 percent per cycle.

Who Benefits From IVF in Cyprus?

If you are under the age of 35 and have been trying to conceive for at least one year without success, or if you are over 35 and have been trying to conceive for at least six months, then you may be recommended to try IVF in Cyprus.

You may benefit from IVF in Cyprus if you have the following fertility problems:

• Blocked or damaged fallopian tubes
• Minor or major abnormalities in sperm shape, count or motility
• Unexplained infertility (a cause hasn’t been found to explain why you have not been able to become pregnant)
• Absence, damage or structural abnormalities of the uterus
• Ovulation disorders (irregular or absent periods)
• Premature menopause (menopause before the age of 35)
• Genetic conditions that may interfere with your ability to get pregnant or that may be passed onto the child
• Unsuccessful IUI treatment

How Does the IVF Cyprus Program Work?

Step 1: Contact Us

The first step is to discuss our treatment program details with our EuroCARE IVF patient coordinators. Patients will be provided with in-depth information about the cost of treatment, tests required, and the details of the IVF process. Initial fertility consultations are a great opportunity for you to ask questions, as it is very important for you to understand the treatment process entirely from beginning to end. Patients can reach out to our support team by phone, email, Whatsapp, Viber, or Skype.

Step 2: Fertility Testing

Cause(s) of infertility can be diagnosed only through an extensive fertility testing of you and your partner (if any):

• Blood tests: You will be required to have your hormones tested before the start of the IVF treatment in Cyprus. The course of action and outcome of your IVF cycle will depend on the following hormones: estrogen, progesterone, FSH and LH. The test results will indicate your ovarian function.
• Ultrasound: A crucial part of the diagnosis process for women is a transvaginal ultrasound to assess the antral follicle count, the status of your uterine lining and check if there are any polyps or cysts.
• Infectious Disease Testing: This involves testing for diseases including HIV and Hepatitis B and C.
• Semen Analysis: This is one of the most common tests to determine if there is a male factor involved. The test measures that quantity and quality of your partner’s semen and sperm. A low sperm count or abnormal shape or motility of the sperm cells will impact the male fertility.

Step 3: Ovarian Stimulation

Fertility drugs in the form of shots are administered to stimulate your ovaries to produce more eggs than usual. Having multiple eggs increases the chance of achieving fertilisation and pregnancy.

During ovarian stimulation, our fertility doctor will monitor the growth and development of the follicles in your ovaries. Our female patients will be required to have blood tests and ultrasounds during the ovarian stimulation process. Our doctor will monitor the growth of the follicles/eggs with the help of ultrasound scans and hormone levels through basic blood tests.

Monitoring your response to the fertility drugs is very important because it determines the success of your IVF treatment in Cyprus. This is how our IVF doctor makes sure the medication protocol is giving the expected results, and if required, that same protocol may be altered to avoid any potential risk or complication associated with ovarian stimulation. If the responsiveness of your ovaries is not satisfactory, you may need to change the fertility drugs, or increase or decrease dosages.

Monitoring your ovaries also helps us determine the appropriate time for the egg retrieval. All your blood and ultrasound tests are conducted as part of your treatment cycle and costs.

Step 4: Trigger shot

Once an optimum number and size of follicles/eggs is reached, you’ll be administered an injection of hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin), also known as a trigger shot. HCG is responsible for triggering your ovaries to release eggs, therefore the name “trigger shot”. The procedure for egg retrieval will be performed 34 to 36 hours later. The hCG injection replaces the natural Luteinising Hormone (LH) in the body and induces ovulation and final maturation of the eggs. The dosage of the hCG injection will depend on your body weight.

Timing of the hCG shot is vital. The daily ultrasounds at the end of the ovarian stimulation phase will determine the right time for the shot. Usually, the hCG injection is given when the follicles reach 18 to 20 mm in size. The trigger shot is typically a one-time injection that is given subcutaneously (under the skin).

Step 5: Egg retrieval

About 34 to 36 hours after you receive the hCG injection, the egg retrieval procedure will be performed at our IVF clinic in Cyprus. This is a simple medical procedure that takes about 15 minutes.

You will be given a light sedative to make you sleep while our doctor is retrieving the eggs. This way you will not feel any pain or discomfort during the retrieval. Our fertility doctor will use a transvaginal ultrasound to guide a needle up to your ovaries. The doctor will then gently suck the fluid and multiple eggs from the follicle into the needle. The collected eggs will be sent to our lab for fertilization.

The number of eggs retrieved varies from one person to another, and can usually be estimated via ultrasound. Once the egg retrieval procedure is over, you can have a bed rest.

Step 6: Sperm Collection

There are three ways to obtain sperm for fertilization during IVF in Cyprus:

1. Ejaculation. On the morning of the egg retrieval, your partner will need to provide a fresh sperm sample. The sperm sample is processed in our EuroCARE IVF lab where healthy, motile sperm cells are separated from the other components of the ejaculate.
2. Micro TESE. Micro TESE is currently one of the most popular sperm retrieval methods for men affected by infertility. The procedure is performed through a very small incision in the scrotum. The patient is under local or general anesthesia during the procedure. Once the seminiferous tubules (a reservoir of sperm) are located, sperm is collected and evaluated under a microscope.
3. Sperm Donation. Sperm donation in Cyprus is an excellent option for men who have been diagnosed with azoospermia (male infertility) and struggle to produce live sperm cells in the ejaculate, or have a very poor sperm function, which suggests that the sperm does not possess fertilizing qualities. In such cases, the best alternative would be to use donor sperm, which requires the use of IVF treatment so that the single donor sperm can be injected into each collected egg. Our EuroCARE IVF clinic partners with reputable sperm banks to provide you with an exceptional, high-quality donor sperm.

Step 7: Egg fertilization

Collected eggs are taken to our lab where they are examined before being fertilized with the sperm. The eggs are placed in culture medium to prepare them for fertilisation later that day, and are then fertilized by injecting single sperm cells into each mature egg. The sperm will be used for fertilization within 2-4 hours after the egg retrieval. This advanced procedure of egg fertilization is called Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) Cyprus. ICSI is the most effective technique of fertilization used in all our IVF treatments without any extra cost. The fertilized eggs, now called embryos, are incubated overnight and are cultured for a few days in our EuroCARE IVF lab.

Step 8: Embryo transfer

The embryo transfer in Cyprus is a simple medical procedure in which embryos are transferred to the woman’s uterus using a catheter and ultrasound for visualization. Once passed through the cervix, the pre-filled catheter places the embryos in the uterus with the intent to establish a pregnancy. The procedure is performed on day three or five after fertilization. Embryo transfer is similar to a pap smear and takes only 15-20 minutes. The number of embryos transferred will depend on your age, and the quality and stage of development of the embryo. Embryos may be transferred on day three or day five after egg retrieval. Embryo transfer performed on day five after fertilization is called blastocyst transfer.

Learn more about the do’s and don’ts after embryo transfer.

Embryo Freezing in Cyprus

Any extra good-quality embryos that are not used during the cycle, may be frozen and stored for the future. This procedure is called embryo freezing (cryopreservation). Embryo freezing in Cyprus uses very low temperatures, usually -196 °C/-321 °F, to preserve living cells and tissues.

At the EuroCARE IVF clinic in Cyprus, we apply a method called vitrification, an emerging technology that differs from traditional cryopreservation. Vitrification allows our embryologists to freeze embryos within a few minutes so that they become “glass-like” or vitrified. Rapid cooling is optimal for preserving the quality of embryos and preventing ice from being formed during the procedure.

When To Test For Pregnancy After IVF in Cyprus?

Twelve days after the embryo transfer you will be scheduled a beta hCG blood test to determine if you are pregnant. The blood test will measure the hormone hCG that is produced during pregnancy.

Patients are advised NOT to take an early pregnancy test at home. The test result may be misleading because the hCG hormone, which is contained in one of the fertility drugs, may stay longer in your body.

Our fertility doctor may prescribe additional medication in the first few weeks of your pregnancy to support the implantation of the embryos. You will be monitored through occasional blood tests and ultrasounds to make sure your pregnancy is going well.

Early Pregnancy Symptoms

Some of the early pregnancy symptoms you may experience after the embryo transfer in Cyprus are:

• Tender, swollen breasts
• Fatigue
• Slight bleeding or cramping
• Nausea
• Food aversions or cravings
• Headaches
• Moodiness, etc.

IVF treatment at the EuroCARE IVF clinic in Cyprus

If you are trying to conceive and looking for further information about the IVF process at EuroCARE IVF, please contact our friendly patient coordinators who will provide you with empowering education and multilingual support to help you make a well-informed decision about your next IVF treatment in Cyprus.