Answer from: Raúl Olivares, MD
The only medicine that is usually recommended after the embryo transfer is progesterone. Usually, progesterone pessaries are taken vaginally or subcutaneously. In some circumstances, many other drugs should be considered, but this decision should be made individually according to the medical data of the case. In some cases, patients may also need to take oestrogens because they have been preparing the uterus with oral oestrogens. Additionally, in some cases, we may need to add heparin or aspirin. These are kinds of adjunct drugs that are recommended depending on each case, but the only drug that is typically recommended in all treatments is progesterone.
Answer from: Patricio Calamera, MD, MSc, ObGyn
The most important of all, of course, it’s the progesterone, because I have to prepare the endometrium for the correct implantation. So, it’s very important. Depending on the patient and on the cycle and if they have any other conditions, we sometimes do aspirin and some vitamins are also added to the protocol. Well, again, it’s also heparin, I mean that there’s many many other medications but that depends on each case. In particular, in a normal embryo transfer, in a regular IVF cycle, besides the vitamins and maybe some aspirin, the most important thing is the progesterone.
Answer from: Valentina Denisova, MD PhD Obstetrician Gynaecologist
To prepare a uterus for implantation of the embryo into a receptive endometrium, we prescribed mainly progesterone medicines. Progesterone can be used in different forms like vaginal capsules, vaginal gels, pills, intramuscular injections, and so on. The efficacy and safety of all these forms are similar. Usually, patients start taking progesterone before the embryo transfer, and the last transfer will be performed after five full days when you are off the progesterone intake. After the embryo transfer, the patient will continue taking progesterone at least until the pregnancy test. Sometimes we also can prescribe estrogens in order to prepare the uterus for the frozen embryo transfers or while using donor eggs. When we choose such a scheme of endometrium preparation, we prescribe estrogens from the beginning of a menstrual cycle, and then the endometrial thickness ratio should be at least eight millimeters – we prescribe progesterone; and the same five full days of progesterone intake and then embryo transfer. And in these cases, both medicines; estrogen and progesterone should also be used at least until pregnancy test. Sometimes patients can have any concomitant disorder, for example, an endocrine disorder, cardiovascular disorder, or any other, thus, specialists in this field can prescribe another medicine before performing IVF, and in such cases; patients will take these medicines together with the estrogen and progesterone considering the doctor’s prescription.
Answer from: Santiago Eduardo Novoa, MD
The basic medication after an embryo transfer is progesterone and sometimes, if we can add some other medication, it depends on how the treatment has been organized, like estrogens and sometimes and it depends if there are any reason or not for that, we can add other medications like aspirins or heparins that are those are the most traditional ones that we use.
