Navigating the Two Week Wait

The two-week wait is the well-known and often emotionally challenging period between your embryo transfer, timed intercourse, or intrauterine insemination (IUI) procedure and your scheduled blood pregnancy test at one of our offices. During this time, many patients experience a mix of anticipation, hope, and anxiety as they wait to learn the outcome of their treatment.

While it may be tempting, we strongly advise against performing a home urine pregnancy test during this waiting period. Home pregnancy tests can yield misleading results—either a false negative or a false positive—due to their reliance on human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) levels. Many fertility treatments involve using hCG to trigger ovulation, and traces of this hormone may still be present in your system, potentially causing a positive result even if implantation hasn’t occurred. Conversely, testing too early can result in a negative result simply because hCG levels have not risen enough to be detectable by home tests.

At the conclusion of your two-week wait, your pregnancy test will be conducted in our office through a blood draw. This test measures hCG levels with precision and accuracy, ensuring the most reliable determination of pregnancy. While waiting can be difficult, rest assured that our team is here to support you every step of the way as you navigate this crucial phase of your journey.