Blog
Oct 8, 2026
How do you feel during IVF treatment, and which side effects are common? Most people cope well, but IVF side effects in both body and mood are common, and they differ between the three stages of treatment: ovarian (hormone) stimulation, egg retrieval and the time after the embryo transfer.
Here we go through which side effects are common, what egg retrieval usually feels like, which warning signs to watch for and how you can look after yourself during IVF treatment.
The most common IVF side effects are a bloated, tight tummy, tender breasts, tiredness, headaches and mood swings during hormone stimulation, much like PMS. Down-regulation can bring hot flushes and sweating. Egg retrieval can feel like period pain for one to two days, and the progesterone after the transfer can cause tender breasts and tiredness. Serious side effects are uncommon, but contact the clinic if your tummy swells quickly, you are short of breath, have a fever above 38 °C or bleed heavily.
What this article covers
How you feel varies from person to person and from stage to stage. Hormone stimulation lasts about two weeks, and most people can live as usual, work and exercise during that time.
Emotional ups and downs are at least as common as physical symptoms. Worry, uncertainty and swings between hope and low mood are part of treatment, especially in the two weeks between the transfer and the pregnancy test. More on that further down.
During hormone stimulation you take daily IVF injections that make several follicles mature at the same time, usually one injection a day for about 8–14 days. The injections go under the skin, usually on the tummy, with very fine needles, and most people feel only a quick pinch. One of our midwives (fertility nurses) shows you how to do them, and the IVF medications you receive are chosen individually.
In some treatment protocols your own cycle is switched off before stimulation starts (down-regulation), for example with a nasal spray or injections. During that time you may have symptoms similar to the menopause, such as hot flushes, sweating, tiredness and low mood. These usually ease once stimulation starts.
The most common side effects of IVF injections resemble PMS and are most noticeable towards the end of stimulation, when the ovaries are at their largest:
Yes, they can. Hormone levels change quickly during stimulation, and many people notice that they feel more sensitive, tired or low than usual. On top of that, there is the worry about the result and the stress of all the appointments. It helps to tell your partner or someone close to you that your mood may swing, so it is easier to understand each other.
There is no way to remove the side effects completely, but these things help many people:
Good habits around sleep, food and exercise are valuable both before and during treatment. Read more about lifestyle and fertility.
Egg retrieval, also called egg collection, is done when the eggs are mature, about 36 hours after the trigger injection. You get instructions for egg retrieval at the scan before the procedure. The doctor guides a thin needle through the vagina using ultrasound and collects the eggs from the follicles. The procedure takes about 10–20 minutes, and usually around ten eggs are collected, but the number varies between patients.
For most people egg retrieval feels like pressure or a dull period pain, and the pain relief takes the edge off. You are given pain-relieving and relaxing medicine through a drip, plus a local anaesthetic, before the doctor inserts the needle. Afterwards you rest at the clinic for a couple of hours, and because of the pain relief you should not drive that day. Plan to take the whole day off work.
Period-like pain and a tight tummy for one to two days after egg retrieval are common, and some people also have wind or constipation. Light bleeding after egg retrieval is common and usually stops within a day. Rest and a heat pad can help, and over-the-counter painkillers such as paracetamol are usually enough. Check with us before taking ibuprofen or similar medicines.
If no embryo is transferred in the same cycle, you usually get a bleed within about two weeks of egg retrieval. If you have had a transfer and the pregnancy test is negative, your period usually starts a few days after you stop taking progesterone. The first period may be heavier and more painful than usual.
Moving around after egg retrieval is fine, but avoid heavy lifting and exercise with jumping or impact. Avoid baths, swimming pools, lakes and the sea for two weeks (showers are fine), and keep avoiding sex until two weeks have passed, because of the risk of infection. You will find more practical answers in our frequently asked questions about IVF.
Most IVF side effects are harmless and pass within a few days. Serious complications of egg retrieval, such as infection or bleeding inside the abdomen, are rare, which is exactly why we ask you to report the symptoms below, whether they appear during stimulation, after egg retrieval or after the transfer.
Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) is an uncommon complication, around 1–2 per cent of treatments, that can affect people who respond strongly to the hormone treatment. The ovaries become enlarged and fluid can collect in the abdomen. Symptoms usually appear in the days after egg retrieval and can get worse if you become pregnant. We monitor every patient closely with ultrasound to reduce the risk.
If you have any of these symptoms, contact us immediately for support and further care.
Mild OHSS usually settles on its own within one to two weeks with rest, fluids and pain relief. If there is a risk of more severe hyperstimulation, the doctor may choose to freeze the embryos and postpone the transfer to a later cycle, because a pregnancy in the same cycle can make the symptoms worse.
Also get in touch if, after egg retrieval, you:
If the clinic is closed, call 1177, the Swedish healthcare advice line. If you have severe breathing difficulty or severe pain, call 112 or go to an emergency department (akutmottagning).
The transfer is done 2–5 days after egg retrieval, usually once the embryo has been cultured for five days to the blastocyst stage. The transfer itself is quick and usually painless. Afterwards you receive hormone support with progesterone, and the pregnancy test is done two weeks later. Do not test earlier, because the trigger injection can give a false positive result for a while.
Progesterone can cause tender breasts, tiredness, a mild ache in the tummy and sometimes a little blood-stained discharge, the same symptoms as early pregnancy. That is why you cannot tell the result from how you feel. If you bleed before the test, keep taking progesterone as prescribed and contact us.
For many people the two-week wait is the hardest part of the whole treatment. Plan the fortnight before it starts: put your progesterone times in a calendar, line up a few things to look forward to and agree on who you will tell first, whatever the result.
IVF does not only affect the body. Uncertainty, many appointments, hormones and high expectations mean that it is common to feel worry, stress, sadness or guilt, sometimes on the same day as hope and joy. These are normal reactions and not a sign that you are handling treatment the wrong way. If low mood lasts for weeks or takes over daily life, tell us, so that you get support in time.
It is a common worry, but the research suggests not: a large analysis of studies found that emotional distress before treatment did not lower the chance of pregnancy. So try not to worry that feeling anxious will affect your result. Looking after yourself still makes this time easier to bear.
You do not have to carry this on your own. At Ovumia you can get counselling support with a therapist or psychologist when needed, and you can always talk to your doctor or midwife about how you feel.
Many people also find it helps to read about other people's experiences, for example in a journey through IVF, where a couple describe their thoughts and feelings during treatment.
Yes, most people can work as usual during IVF treatment. During stimulation you come in for a few short scan visits, sometimes with blood tests, often early in the morning, which many people solve with flexitime. Plan a full day off for egg retrieval. The embryo transfer takes a few minutes, and most people go back to work the same day.
The treatment itself is not usually a reason for sick leave. If side effects or how you feel mean that you cannot manage work, talk to your doctor, who can assess whether you need sick leave.
Would you like to know what IVF treatment would look like for you and what to expect? Start with a fertility assessment, where we go through your background and make an individual plan, and see our IVF prices.
Here are the answers to the questions we are asked most often about how you feel during IVF. If your question is not here, you are always welcome to get in touch.
The most common are a tight or bloated tummy, tender breasts, tiredness, headaches and mood swings during hormone stimulation, and period-like pain after egg retrieval. The symptoms are usually temporary and resemble PMS.
IVF takes time, involves many appointments and can be demanding both physically and emotionally, and there is no guarantee of pregnancy. Serious complications are uncommon, but ovarian hyperstimulation and multiple pregnancy can occur. To avoid multiple pregnancy, only one embryo is transferred at a time.
Typical signs are a tummy that swells quickly and feels tight, increasing abdominal pain, nausea, shortness of breath, passing less urine and putting on weight quickly. Symptoms usually appear in the days after egg retrieval. Contact the clinic straight away if you notice them.
Mild OHSS usually settles on its own within one to two weeks with rest, fluids and pain relief, and we follow you up with check-ups. Severe OHSS is uncommon but can need hospital care. If there is a risk of hyperstimulation, the embryos are frozen and transferred in a later cycle.
You can live as usual, but avoid heavy lifting and exercise with jumping or impact while your ovaries are enlarged, as well as smoking and alcohol. Avoid sex from the day before the trigger injection until two weeks after egg retrieval and baths for two weeks after egg retrieval.
The transfer is done 2–5 days after egg retrieval. Usually the embryo is cultured for five days until it reaches the blastocyst stage, but in some cases the transfer is done after two to three days.
The transfer itself does not usually hurt. In the days after, progesterone can cause tender breasts, tiredness and a mild ache, the same symptoms as early pregnancy, so you cannot tell the result from how you feel.
IVF is not usually painful. The injections feel like a quick pinch, egg retrieval is done with pain relief and a local anaesthetic and feels like pressure or period pain, and the transfer is usually painless. The most common complaint is period-like pain for one to two days after egg retrieval.
Yes, light vaginal bleeding after egg retrieval is common and usually stops within a day. If you bleed heavily and the bleeding does not ease, contact us.
The treatment itself is not usually a reason for sick leave, and most people can work as usual. If side effects or how you feel mean that you cannot manage work, your doctor can assess whether you need sick leave.
The side effects of the hormones are temporary and pass once treatment is over. Research has so far not shown any clear long-term health risks of IVF for the woman, and children born after IVF are generally as healthy as other children. If you have questions about your own situation, talk to your doctor.
Usually around ten eggs are collected, but the number varies between patients and depends on factors such as age and ovarian reserve. More eggs are not always better, because a strong response to the hormones increases the risk of hyperstimulation.
Medically reviewed by Balsam Haseeb, specialist in obstetrics and gynaecology, Ovumia Sweden · Last updated 2026-10-08.
