The most sensitive, accurate and reliable pregnancy test is a blood test for the presence of b-HCG (human chorionic gonadotrophin).The HCG is produced by the cells that formed the placenta, and is the embryo's signal to the mother that pregnancy has occurred.
Most clinics start testing B-HCG 14 days after egg collection. As the embryo grows rapidly, B-HCG normally double every 2 to 3 days.
The level are higher in multiple pregnancies; and lower in non-viable pregnancies and ectopic pregnancies.
Levels vary from lab to lab but discuss all results with your doctor.
If the levels don't double as expected, this suggests that the pregnancy is unhealthy. Possibilities include a non-viable intrauterine pregnancy which will miscarry; or an ectopic pregnancy. Differentiating between the two conditions is obviously important, and this is where vaginal ultrasound plays a key role.
The major advantage of blood tests is the fact that they measure the actual level of the HCG in the blood - and this factor can be very helpful in managing pregnancy problems. Мany women after their fertility treatment sneak a test at home using a kit bought from the pharmacy.
Modern urine pregnancy kits are now quite sensitive and can detect a pregnancy as early as 1 to 2 days after missing a period (at a blood HCG level of about 50 to 100 mIU/ml).
The benefit of urine pregnancy test kits is that they are less expensive; and testing can be done at home by the patient herself.
However, instructions need to be followed carefully, and errors in interpreting the test results are not uncommon. These errors could occur if the urine is too dilute; or if the test is not done properly; or if there is a urinary tract infection exists.

What next after a negative pregnancy test?

The next step is to call your gynecologist. The information and advice given by him and his colleagues are important for a complete assessment of your IVF attempt.
Although there are still some unknown reasons why IVF fails and the cause, may frequently not be found but it is helpful to ask the following questions and see what can be changed to improve the chance of a pregnancy.

• Was the number of follicles satisfactory?
• Were the oocytes mature/good quality?
• Was the percentage of fertilized oocytes good? Maybe ICSI is required next time?
• Was there a problem with the embryo transfer?
• Were the embryos of good quality?
• How many times shall we do IVF?

The last question is very personal and depends entirely on you. Of course, your doctor and his colleagues can advise you but the most important thing is to assess if the next cycle of IVF can be an improvement of the one before.
For example:

• Maybe a different protocol should be used. If you did not have satisfactory recruitment of follicles maybe a change of protocol or an increased/decreased dose is required. Our aim is to recruit optimal number follicles with mature eggs and respectively good embryos.
• Maybe it would a good idea to try Assisted Hatching or embryo transfer at the blastocyst stage? Although embryos reaching the blastocyst stage seem to have a high probability of implantation, usually this method is chosen only when a large number of embryos are available. This is because of the fact that around 30% of them have a potential to reach that stage.
• When can I start my next IVF cycle? Usually you are asked to wait at least two months for your body to resume its natural rhythm. You will have been subjected to not only to emotional stress but a bombardment of hormones and time is needed for your body to get back to normal.

We hope that we can help you to control your anxiety and meet the following IVF attempt with optimism.