Impatiently Enduring the Two Week Wait

The two week wait after undergoing a frozen embryo transfer can be a time of high anxiety, worry, and frustration for families going through embryo adoption. The two week wait is the period of time after the transfer has occurred until you take your first pregnancy test. Essentially, it’s the amount of time you must wait until you know if the embryo has successfully implanted.

There are a lot of “what ifs” floating around during this time. What if the FET failed? Should we try again right away? Can we even afford to try again right away? Will I need time to process and grieve if it fails?

It is a lot to process! Whether you are in the middle of your two week wait or FET is coming up soon, here are some survival tips to put into practice to help make the two week wait a bit more manageable.

1. Stop Obsessing Over “Pregnancy Symptoms” – The reason why you have to wait to weeks before you know if the FET was successful is because the amount of pregnancy hormone (hCG) in your body are so low that they cannot be detected. Thus, you probably won’t be exhibiting any pregnancy symptoms. At the very least, if you do notice a potential symptom, take it with a grain of salt.
2. Keep Busy – Have you have noticed how time seems to slow to a crawl when you’re anxiously waiting for something? This can happen during the two week wait. It is best to keep busy with distractions, work, hobbies, family, and friends in an attempt to make the time go by faster.
3. Find a Support Network – Having someone to talk to during the wait is an extremely helpful coping mechanism. Speak with someone you trust about your worries and fears, but also hopes and excitement about the outcome of the transfer. Sometimes just hearing the thoughts out loud and getting feedback is a great way to calm anxiety.
4. Use mindfulness and relaxation techniques – Yoga, breathing exercises, and meditation can be used to lower stress and anxiety levels. Plus, yoga could be a new hobby to look into to keep yourself distracted.
5. Journal – Getting your thoughts, questions, worries, and fears on paper make them more manageable and less scary. Also, take the time to write out and answer the ‘what ifs,” and come up with potential alternate routes for each.
6. NO PREGNANCY TESTS – This is probably the toughest rule to follow. The thought is if you take a home pregnancy test before your first beta test, and get a positive result, the rest of the week will be much more manageable. However, the chances of getting a positive result on a pregnancy test before the beta test is very, very slim. You could get a false negative, which only creates an unneeded emotional blow. Or, you could get a positive, only to find out at the beta test that it is a chemical pregnancy. Better to wait for the blood test with the clinic to avoid unnecessary emotional upheaval.

Hopefully, with these survival tips, the two week wait after your FET will be much more bearable. To learn more about embryo donation and adoption, visit EmbryoAdoption.org.