ivf travel nurse

Fertility In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) Travel Jobs

Browse nationwide fertility in vitro fertilization (ivf) jobs now (tons exclusive only to aya)..

We don’t have anything that matches your search right now — but we update our jobs daily, so check back soon! Or register now , update your profile and save job searches to be notified when a job that matches your parameters becomes available!

We're currently updating our jobs so please check back soon!

Log in with Aya

Looks like you already have an account with Aya. Log in and access pay and facility information.

Register with Aya

Get instant access to pay and facility information.

• At least 8 characters
• 1 lowercase letter
• 1 uppercase letter
• 1 symbol/special character

*File types allowed: TXT, PDF, DOC *Maximum file size: 20MB

Already have an account? Log in here .

Aya delivers:

• The most jobs in the industry. We have the largest and most reliable job database, which means the jobs you see are open, updated in real time and ready for you!
• Competitive advantage over other agencies. Front-of-the-line access through our direct facility relationships — many with quick (even same-day) offers, giving you the best chance of securing your ideal opportunity.
• Expedited licensing and streamlined compliance. An industry-leading on-time start rate and strong relationships with boards of nursing across the country to accelerate the process in all 50 states.
• Expert career guidance. A dedicated recruiter to help you achieve your dream career. Travel, per diem, permanent — we have the reach and access to get you the jobs you want, and the expertise to help you realize your long-term goals.
• A best-in-class support system and an exceptional experience. Enjoy accurate, weekly pay, and an entire team dedicated to your happiness on assignment, 24/7.

Plus, you get everything you expect from the largest healthcare staffing company in the industry:

• Exceptional benefits, including premium medical, dental, vision and life insurance beginning day one of your assignment. Want to take time off? Keep insurance coverage for up to 24 days between assignments.
• A generous 401(k) match.
• Paid company housing (we'll help you bring your pets along, too!) or a generous housing stipend.
• Paid sick time in accordance with all applicable state, federal, and local laws. Aya's general sick leave policy is that employees accrue one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked. However, to the extent any provisions of the statement above conflict with any applicable paid sick leave laws, the applicable paid sick leave laws are controlling.
• The industry's only clinical ladder program for RNs on assignment.
• Access to unlimited continuing education units online.
• Licensure, relocation and other reimbursements, when applicable.
• Pay listed above includes taxable wages and tax-free expense reimbursements.

For all employees and employee applicants, Aya is an Equal Employment Opportunity ("EEO") Employer, including Disability/Vets, and welcomes all to apply. Please click here for our EEO policy.

• Bi-weekly weekend travel home.
• A rental car and paid housing.

With Aya Locums you get:

• Access to top hospitals and healthcare systems in diverse care settings.
• Highly competitive, transparent locum tenens pay.
• Dedicated application and assignment support.
• In-house credentialing and licensing teams.
• Full coverage of licensing costs.
• Travel and lodging coverage.
• Easy timekeeping and streamlined management of documents.
• Malpractice coverage and risk management support.
• Premium medical, dental, vision and life insurance beginning day one of your assignment.
• Paid sick time. Aya provides paid sick leave in accordance with all applicable state, federal, and local laws. Aya's general sick leave policy is that employees accrue one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked. However, to the extent any provisions of the statement above conflict with any applicable paid sick leave laws, the applicable paid sick leave laws are controlling.
• Generous 401k match.
• Aya may provide other benefits where required by applicable law, including but not limited to reimbursements.
• Aya coordinates all travel and lodging accommodations.
• Travel information is received the evening prior to your scheduled departure.
• Airfare is covered and, if driving to the assignment, reimbursement is available.
• Once notice is received, communication from our team is sent via email and text to ensure you are kept in the loop as soon as information becomes available.
• Your safety is Aya's top priority. We work closely with the facility to ensure additional security measures are taken onsite so you can focus on what really matters: patient care.
• Licensure, relocation and other reimbursements.

Experience the Aya difference today

• A dedicated recruiter who advocates for you every step of the way.
• We'll ensure the hiring manager prioritizes your interest and schedules an interview quickly.
• A streamlined hiring process means offers are often presented within 24-48 hours after an interview with a hiring leader.
• Flexible start dates that work around your availability.
• We make it simple with one point of contact the entire time.
• University of Washington (UW) offers a wide range of benefits as part of your total compensation package. Choose from top medical and dental insurance programs; plan for your future with tax-deferred investing through the UW retirement options; enjoy generous vacation and sick leave policies; and protect yourself and your family with life and long-term disability insurance. For more information, follow the links shown below or explore the Benefits website at http://hr.uw.edu/benefits/

With Aya, you get:

• Higher compensation - we negotiate on your behalf.
• Work-life balance - contracts are up to 40 hours per week, with workdays ending mid-late afternoon and weekends off!
• An employee advocate - our team ensures you have the support needed to be successful in your role.
• Options post contract - extend, convert to a permanent employee or find a new job.
• Paid company housing (pets are welcome to tag along) or a generous housing stipend.
• If qualified, continued insurance coverage over the summer.
• A generous 401k match.
• A robust team to support you every step of the way.
• A credentialing specialist to streamline the entire compliance process.
• Freedom and flexibility around your current schedule.
• The easy-to-use Shifts app. Select shifts anytime, anywhere.
• Premium medical, dental, vision and life insurance.
• Front-of-the-line access to exclusive jobs at thousands of healthcare facilities nationwide.
• A robust team to support you every step of the way to ensure you start on time, have accurate payroll and an exceptional experience.
• Certification and other reimbursements, when applicable.

Privacy Overview

FAQ - Travel

Does my husband or partner have to get a semen analysis.

A semen analysis is a critical part of your fertility workup and the lack of one can result in a failed cycle (So you definitely should have one!!!); however, those clients wishing to decline this can do so by signing a waiver in your Consents Packet.  Remember, men are the cause of or partially responsible for approximately 50% of all cases of infertility.  A history of fathering children does not mean a man can not now be infertile. Male fertility declines due to age, environmental exposure, and other physiological changes. We, unfortunately, have many couples who failed to have a semen analysis done at a previous clinic or waive a semen analysis at ours, spend thousands of dollars and endure years of heartache, only to finally do a semen analysis and realize they have male infertility issues.

When will I get my medication order, can I get medications from any pharmacy I’d like, and how will I know what to take and when?

After your initial consult, medications will be prescribed for you typically within 7-14 days to whichever the least expensive self-pay fertility pharmacy is at the time. These medications can be reviewed in your patient portal. Because New York State prohibits the release of paper prescriptions, should you elect to fill any of these medications elsewhere, we request that you call the pharmacy where they were initially ordered and request they be forwarded electronically to the pharmacy of your choice. This helps to reduce duplicate medication orders which cause confusion for you, CNY, and the respective pharmacies. You will need to ensure you receive all your medications prior to calling to notify us you have started your period.

Where are my results?  Why do you not have my results? / What should I do if you don’t have my results in yet?

This part of the process can be tricky but we are here to help! Should your results not be received, our office will work with you and your facility to obtain these results. Given the archaic nature of fax, even though your facility may have sent your results, it does not always mean they were in fact received which can be very stressful for you. Rest assured that we will work together with you to obtain these results the same day. In the rare event your results are not received same-day, we will ensure you have a plan until the results are received. The most effective way to get us your results is to have your monitoring facility email them to our secure email server at: [email protected] .

Do I need someone with me for my procedures? (or can I use Uber, etc?)

Yes, you will need someone to accompany you to your procedure, be available to receive your post-procedure instructions, and see to it that you arrive back home or to your hotel safely.

How do I communicate with the travel team?

There are two primary ways you can communicate with us! First, we have a Clinical Team that is staffed with highly qualified fertility nurses who are available to you Monday through Friday from 6:00AM to 8:00PM Eastern and Saturdays from 7:00AM to 2:00PM Eastern. If they are unable to answer your question, they will send a note over to the Travel Team to assist you! The other way you can get in touch for non-urgent matters is through the Patient Portal. Please be sure to select “Travel Team” as your recipient so that your message can be answered in a timely fashion.

How many appointments will I need for monitoring?

Generally, you can expect 3-5 appointments for each cycle—one baseline visit and several monitoring visits though this may vary from cycle to cycle according to your individualized plan of care as well as your body’s response to the medications.

Will have an assigned nurse?

Similar to our providers, the Global Travel Nursing Team works as a team and our nurses are all highly qualified to assist you in your journey. Each time you have an appointment locally to you, you will be assigned a nurse who will be responsible for reviewing your results and advising you of your next steps. Due to nursing schedules, this may not be the same nurse throughout your cycle; however, rest assured that our team takes care to notate your chart in such a way that any nurse can assist you.

What doctor will oversee my case?

All our providers work as a team to manage your care. This gives you the benefit of having many fertility specialists looking over and reviewing your case. We will always take into consideration your preferred provider; however, you may find that you had your initial consultation with one provider, see another provider for your retrieval, and see yet another for your transfer. This is partially because our providers may be in a different office location on the day of your procedure or may be out of the office.  Rest assured that all of our providers have been hand-selected to provide the highest level of care at every turn.

When do I order donor sperm?

CNY requires donor sperm specimens to be in our lab (at the location that your retrieval or insemination will take place at) prior to starting your treatment cycle. You will want to ensure the sperm bank you have chosen is approved by  New York State .  Once you have chosen a bank and a donor, you will work with the bank to send the appropriate releases over to CNY so that the specimen can be shipped.

These forms can be uploaded to your  patient portal  or sent a number of different ways depending on if you are a local or travel client.

For Travel clients, the releases can also be faxed to 315-930-2096, or emailed to our team at [email protected] .

For local clients, results can be faxed to:

– Syracuse: 315-469-6789

– Albany: 518-724-5757

– Rochester: 585-244-1296

– Buffalo: 716-636-1940

– Atlanta: 770-282-1332

How will I find a local monitoring facility and what should I ask them?

Finding a monitoring center is easier than it might sound! We recommend you start with your local OB-GYN, local lab, local hospital, or local fertility center. You will want to let them know that you will be receiving fertility treatment from a non-local provider who will need frequent transvaginal ultrasounds to count and measure your follicles and to evaluate the thickness and pattern of your uterine lining. You will need to let them know that we will need same-day STAT results by 2:30PM Eastern Time. It can be helpful for you to identify a contact person at your local facility who understands the sacrifices you are making to undertake this treatment and who can be your ally in ensuring your results are sent to our office in a timely fashion.

In addition to these ultrasounds, you will also need frequent lab monitoring—baseline monitoring (at the beginning of your cycle) will include Estradiol, Progesterone, LH, FSH, TSH, and HCG and your in-cycle monitoring will include Estradiol, Progesterone, and LH. Receiving these ultrasound and lab results STAT enables our team to analyze your cycle progress and provide you with the appropriate next steps.

I had my initial consult . . . what’s next?

Once you have had your initial consultation with us, your consult provider will summarize your discussion and send it to the Travel Team Nurses for review. Shortly after your consult, you will want to check your Patient Portal where we will upload three packets of information:

• Global Travel Information Packet: please read this very carefully as it will answer the majority of your questions about the process and what to expect.
• Test Requisitions Packet: this packet will contain requisitions you may need throughout the process.
• Consents Packet: this entire packet must be read carefully and ALL pages signed and returned PRIOR to the start of your cycle.

Within 7-14 days of your provider consult, a nurse from our team will reach out via phone for a quick follow up to discuss your next steps including cycle logistics, medications, and recommended pre-testing. The nurse will indicate which of the orders from the Test Requisitions Packet need top be completed, will order your medications, and will answer any questions you may have on the process.

Where can we stay when we travel to your offices?

We have partnerships with hotels near all our facilities.  For a list of available accommodations, head here and click on the location you will be going to.

What offices perform IVF Retrievals/Transfers?

Our Syracuse , Albany , Buffalo , and Colorado Springs offices perform all IVF retrievals/transfers and other major fertility procedures.  To learn more about doing IVF , Tubal Reversals , Donor Egg IVF or other fertility treatments at CNY when you don’t live near one of our retrieval and transfer centers, check out our Traveling for Fertility Treatment page.

Where are your offices located?

You can see a full list of our office locations  here .

That said, over half of our patients come from states which have no CNY Fertility offices because of our high-quality care, pricing at just 1/3 the cost of the national average, and payment plans .

Most coming from outside the area only need to be near one of our offices for 2-7 days.

+ Learn more about our travel for fertility program.

I don’t live locally, can I still be treated?

Yes! In fact, due to the incredible medical and personal care we give to each and every one of our clients coupled with the affordability of our treatments (which is less than 1/3 the national average) over 1/2 of our clients come from states in which we have no office. 

How is all of this possible? Well, all of our out-of-town clients have one of two options. 

• Travel to us and stay with us for the entirety of your treatment (usually a few weeks)
• Have a majority of your treatment (all of your monitoring) managed by us, but done through your local OB/GYN, hospital, radiologist, or fertility clinic. If you need help finding a facility to do the monitoring, check out our map of affiliated monitoring facilities .

If you, like a vast majority of our travel clients, choose option two, we have a dedicated travel team that will provide you with orders for local monitoring and will communicate all of your instructions throughout your cycle. You then only have to travel to us for your actual fertility procedures. For IUI , that is your insemination, for IVF that is your egg retrieval and embryo transfer , and for Donor egg IVF that’s only your transfer if your sperm is shipped to our office beforehand (otherwise the male partner would need to be present for the egg retrieval). 

For each of these, we recommend you arrive the day before your procedure. If you are driving, you may leave later the day of your procedure (only if someone else is driving). If you are flying, we recommend you wait until the day after your procedure to return home. 

What offices do IVF?

All of our offices see patients that are doing IVF; however, all retrievals and transfers take place at our Syracuse, Albany, Buffalo, or Colorado Springs offices . 

Privacy Overview

Best Practices in IVF Nursing: The IVF nurse—An untapped resource for recruiting and retaining patients

Carol B. Lesser, MSN, RNC, NP, is a Nurse Practitioner at Boston IVF, Boston, MA. Ms Lesser discloses that she received compensation from Actavis, Inc. for her participation in the preparation of this newsletter.

Marcia Hilse, RNC, MSN, is a Clinical Education Coordinator at Fertility Centers of Illinois, Glenview, IL. Ms Hilse discloses that she received compensation from Actavis, Inc. for her participation in the preparation of this newsletter.

Click here to download the PDF.

In vitro fertilization (IVF) nurses play a vital role in caring for fertility patients. Predictably, as the complexity of assisted reproductive technology (ART) services has increased, so has the IVF nurse’s scope of practice and educational requirements.

Their multidimensional responsibilities depend on the knowledge and integration of various fields, including endocrinology, gynecology, obstetrics, embryology, genetics, ethics, psychology, research, information technology, urology, and oncology.

But how do IVF nurses gain a command of so many specialty areas?

Recommended Reading

Related articles, sponsored supplement.

Best Practices in IVF Nursing: Endometrial Receptivity: Considering the Uterine Environment as a Contributor to IVF Success

Best Practices in IVF Nursing: Fertility Myths and Misconceptions: Exploring the Common Mistaken Beliefs that Patients May Accept as Truths

• MDedge Home
• Clinician Reviews
• Dermatology
• Emergency Medicine
• Endocrinology/Diabetes
• Family Medicine
• Federal Practitioner
• Gastroenterology
• Hematology/Oncology
• Infectious Disease
• Internal Medicine
• Obstetrics And Gynecology
• Pulmonology
• Rheumatology

IVF Nurse Salary: What You Can Expect To Earn in This Specialized Field

• Last Updated: July 20, 2023

IVF (In Vitro Fertilization) nursing is a unique and specialized field that focuses on providing care and support to patients undergoing fertility treatments such as IVF, IUI, and other assisted reproductive technologies (ART). IVF nurses work alongside fertility doctors, embryologists, and other healthcare specialists to provide personalized care to patients throughout their journey toward parenthood. 

Given the unique demands of this field, VF nurses typically earn higher salaries compared to their counterparts in other areas of nursing. This article delves into the factors that impact an IVF nurse’s salary and whether pursuing this career path is worthwhile. Let’s start by explaining the duties of an IVF nurse.

Table of contents

What is the role of an ivf nurse, ivf nurse salary by state, ivf nurse salary by years of experience, highest-paying ivf jobs, how to increase your salary as an ivf nurse, what fields of nursing pay the most, benefits of being an ivf nurse, what’s the bottom line.

An IVF nurse is a specialized nurse who assists patients throughout their fertility treatment process. This includes executing initial assessments and consultations, administering medications, monitoring patients during treatment, and offering emotional support and guidance. IVF nurses also play a crucial role in patient education, providing information about their treatment options, medication, and fertility treatments’ potential risks and benefits.

In addition to their patient-care responsibilities, IVF nurses work with other healthcare professionals to ensure patients receive the best possible care. This includes collaborating with fertility doctors to develop treatment plans, coordinating with embryologists, and communicating with other nurses and support staff to ensure that patients receive comprehensive care.

To succeed in this role, IVF nurses must possess excellent communication and interpersonal skills and a strong understanding of reproductive health and fertility treatments. The role also demands a high level of attention to detail, as even minor errors in medication administration or patient monitoring can have significant consequences for patient outcomes.

IVF Nurse Salary & Job Outlook

IVF nursing is a specialized field that offers competitive salaries and strong job growth potential. According to ZipRecruiter, fertility nurses earn a median annual salary of $95,216 . This average is much higher than the overall average salary for registered nurses, which is $77,976 annually.

The salaries of IVF nurses can range from $31,000 up to $168,500. The exact wage you can have as an IVF nurse depends on several factors, including the state where you practice, the experience you have in the field, as well as the work environment.

The job outlook for registered nurses, including IVF nurses, is also strong, with a projected employment growth rate of 6% from 2021 to 2031, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

Recent data shows that the highest-paying states for fertility nurses include New York, New Hampshire, Arizona, and Wyoming, with median annual salaries ranging from $98,570 up to $113,026 . On the other hand, the states with the lowest wages for fertility nurses include North Carolina, Louisiana, Texas, and Missouri, with median annual salaries ranging from $68,536 to $77,120. See the map below for IVF nurses‘ wages in other states.

The salary of an IVF nurse can vary based on several factors, including years of experience in the field. Generally, IVF nurses with more years of experience can command higher salaries due to their advanced knowledge and expertise in the field. Here is a breakdown of IVF nurses’ annual salaries based on experience :

• Entry-level: $67,000
• Early-Career: $79,493
• Mid-Career: $92,992 

Some of the highest-paying fertility jobs include the following:

Job Title Annual Salary

IVF Center Solutions: $123,398

IVF Lab Embryologist: $109,550

IVF Nurse Practitioner: $101,116

IVF Laboratory Director: $99,957

IVF Registered Nurse: $97,781

As an IVF nurse, there are various approaches you can use to boost your salary and advance in your career:

• Continuing education: Pursuing additional education in reproductive endocrinology and infertility nursing can demonstrate advanced knowledge and expertise in the field and may lead to higher earnings.
• Obtain specialized certifications: Certifications show your employers that you take your nursing career seriously and are an expert in the field. This can make you a valuable team member, resulting in higher earnings.
• Seek out leadership roles: Working in positions with higher levels of responsibility, such as nurse manager or clinical coordinator, can provide possibilities for higher salaries and advancement in your career.
• Consider the location and employer type: Working in a high-demand location or for a large, well-established fertility clinic may result in higher salaries and additional benefits.
• Negotiate your salary: During the hiring process or performance reviews, you must negotiate your salary and benefits to ensure you are fairly compensated for your skills and experience.

Nursing is a diverse field with many specializations, and salaries can vary significantly depending on the area of expertise. Here are some of the fields of nursing that typically offer the highest salaries:

• Certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA): Provides anesthesia services to patients undergoing medical procedures and surgeries. The average annual salary for CRNAs is $225,555 .
• Psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP): Offers mental health services to patients with psychiatric and behavioral disorders. The median annual salary for PMHNPs is $142,861 .
• Nurse practitioner (NP): Works independently or in collaboration with physicians to provide primary and specialty care to patients. NPs are expected to make an average annual salary of $114,345 .
• Certified nurse midwife (CNM): Provides reproductive and gynecological care to women, including pregnancy care and childbirth services. CNMs earn a median annual salary of $103,987.
• Clinical nurse specialist (CNS): CNSs are advanced practice nurses specializing in a particular field of nursing, such as pediatrics or critical care. Their expertise in their chosen specialty allows them to provide advanced care and support to patients, which often translates to higher salaries. CNSs are expected to earn an average yearly salary of $112,257 .

Should You Become an IVF Nurse?

If you are passionate about reproductive health and helping patients achieve their dreams of parenthood, becoming an IVF nurse can be a fulfilling career choice. As an IVF nurse, you will work closely with patients providing education, emotional support, and clinical care throughout the IVF process. 

If you are looking for a dynamic and challenging nursing career that provides emotional, financial, and intellectual benefits, becoming an IVF nurse may be the right choice. To further help you with this decision, let’s go through some of the benefits of becoming an IVF nurse.

Becoming an IVF nurse is worth it for several reasons. Firstly, working as an IVF nurse can be emotionally rewarding, as you get to help couples and individuals achieve their dreams of having their own children. The work you do can help bring joy and happiness to the lives of your patients and their families.

Secondly, the job is dynamic and challenging, with possibilities to learn and grow as a nurse. You will work with a team of professionals in a fast-paced environment, learning new skills and techniques as you go, which can provide a sense of professional fulfillment and satisfaction.

Thirdly, working as an IVF nurse can be financially rewarding. You can earn a higher salary as a specialized nurse. Additionally, pursuing advanced training and certifications can further increase your earning potential and job opportunities.

Finally, working as an IVF nurse can be intellectually stimulating as you get to work with cutting-edge medical technology. IVF nursing is a constantly evolving field, with new developments and techniques always emerging. This can provide a sense of intellectual curiosity and challenge that many nurses find rewarding.

If you’re passionate about helping patients achieve their dream of having a baby and want to pursue a career that offers both personal fulfillment and professional fulfillment, consider becoming an IVF nurse. 

As crucial members of the fertility treatment team, IVF nurses provide personalized care and support to patients throughout their journey toward parenthood. By dedicating yourself to this rewarding profession and working hard, you can build a successful career while making a significant impact on the lives of your patients. 

Don’t wait any longer to take the first step toward becoming an IVF nurse. Start your journey today and join a field that makes a real difference.

Nurse Luke is a CRNA who specializes in Nursing content and still enjoys a very busy career with Locum, Per Diem and Travel nursing in the greater midwest. He has over 25 years of experience in the healthcare field and received his CRNA masters degree from the Mayo Clinic School of Healthcare. He is passionate about helping nurses explore the options of becoming a travel nurse as well as spending time with his Family. 

Get The Latest Nursing News In Your Inbox

Stay on top of the latest word that affects your career., more to explore.

Best Nursing Schools in Colorado: Top 15 Options For 2024

The Centennial State boasts lots of ADN, BSN, MSN, and DNP programs to choose form. Discover the best nursing schools in Colorado here.

Best Nursing Schools in Miami: 13 Top Options For 2024

Looking to start or advance your nursing education in a vibrant city? Then check out this list of the best nursing schools in Miami.

It's time For the next step

Whether it's a new a job, or continuing your education, betternurse.org is your career partner..

Affordable IVF Fertility Treatments Abroad — How We Can Help

For many, the high cost of fertility treatments makes it difficult—if not impossible—to achieve their dreams of expanding their family. Oftentimes, traveling abroad for IVF treatment makes the dream both affordable and accessible. And, it’s nice to get a beautiful IVF vacation as a bonus. But the process can be overwhelming.   There are so many choices and things to consider .

Which country is best?   How do you select a clinic?   What do you need to know before you travel?

The answers to these and many other questions may be different depending on the services you need and your own family priorities .    Two primary factors that spur people to travel for treatment are 1) access to services; and 2) cost.  Many countries have imposed legal limitations on the fertility services available; or in some cases, their laws regarding donor anonymity or donor compensation have severely limited the pool of available egg donors and sperm donors creating long waiting lists for treatment.   Other countries have a wide variety of services available, but in some cases the cost of treatment makes it unaffordable for the average person. 

Why Us?  IVF Traveler offers uniquely personalized services to help you find IVF, donor IVF and other fertility treatments based on your priorities, budget, and infertility diagnosis.  We bring personal experience with IVF treatments in the US and abroad, and having assisted patients from around the world with over 200 fertility treatments, we can provide objective insight and expertise to save you money and help handle the details to put your mind at ease.  That way you can relax and focus on being ready for treatment—and hopefully return with an extra "souvenir" on board.  

If you want to learn more about whether our services might be a fit for you, or how what we do is unique , please  contact us via email to schedule an initial call.  Helping families grow is our passion!

IVF Treatment Concierge Service

Find out how

Clinic & Country Selection Assistance

Assisted Fertility Treatments Available Internationally

Egg donation, egg freezing, embryo donation, gestational surrogacy, what clients are saying.

" I feel very strongly that my experience was smooth and enjoyable because Sue was with me every step of the way making sure that nothing fell through the cracks. I had no stress, no worry… just a fabulous time in a new country, while at the same time fulfilling our dream of having a child ." LBK, Los Angeles

" Sue was available to me almost 24/7 and helped me along the way every step. I could not have got through without her help and guidance. You know when you have a question that might seem stupid to most people, well she has been through it all herself. There wasn't any question (and I had a few) that she couldn't answer."   Couple From Ireland Read More

Sue Taylor, Consultant & Case Manager

In addition to personally experiencing infertility and undergoing a variety of different IVF treatments (at top fertility clinics in the US and abroad), over the past several years I have provided my consultation services to hundreds of patients traveling abroad for IVF treatments. Clients tell me that the most important aspect is the personalized service, case management and support that I provide. And if you decide to work with me, you can rest assured that you will be working directly with me, not an assistant or other staff member.

As the former CEO of a national healthcare technology company, I am well versed in working within the US healthcare system and with healthcare professionals both here and abroad. I have personally visited a variety of fertility clinics in the US and Europe, and I continue to be impressed with the wide availability of modern, high-tech clinics with internationally respected doctors who offer quality standard IVF, donor egg IVF and other fertility services that are affordable and accessible without compromising quality or personalized service.   

My goal is to ease your mind and make the process of traveling for fertility treatments both financially accessible and a fun vacation!   Contact me to schedule an informational Initial Consultation with no obligation.

How We Can Help

• IVF Concierge Service
• Clinic Selection Assistance
• Donor Embryo Matching
• Our Pricing
• In Fertility News
• Other Resources
• IVF Traveler Blog
• Articles & Helpful Links
• Typical Treatment Costs
• IVF Acronyms & Definitions
• Recommended Books
• Travel Advisor
• What Makes Us Different
• What Our Clients Say
• Picking The Best Clinic
• IVF Traveler Pricing
• About IVF Traveler
• What Clients Say

• Patient Care & Health Information
• Tests & Procedures
• In vitro fertilization (IVF)

• In vitro fertilization

During in vitro fertilization, eggs are removed from sacs called follicles within an ovary (A). An egg is fertilized by injecting a single sperm into the egg or mixing the egg with sperm in a petri dish (B). The fertilized egg, called an embryo, is transferred into the uterus (C).

In vitro fertilization, also called IVF, is a complex series of procedures that can lead to a pregnancy. It's a treatment for infertility, a condition in which you can't get pregnant after at least a year of trying for most couples. IVF also can be used to prevent passing on genetic problems to a child.

During in vitro fertilization, mature eggs are collected from ovaries and fertilized by sperm in a lab. Then a procedure is done to place one or more of the fertilized eggs, called embryos, in a uterus, which is where babies develop. One full cycle of IVF takes about 2 to 3 weeks. Sometimes these steps are split into different parts and the process can take longer.

In vitro fertilization is the most effective type of fertility treatment that involves the handling of eggs or embryos and sperm. Together, this group of treatments is called assisted reproductive technology.

IVF can be done using a couple's own eggs and sperm. Or it may involve eggs, sperm or embryos from a known or unknown donor. In some cases, a gestational carrier — someone who has an embryo implanted in the uterus — might be used.

Your chances of having a healthy baby using IVF depend on many factors, such as your age and the cause of infertility. What's more, IVF involves getting procedures that can be time-consuming, expensive and invasive. If more than one embryo is placed in the uterus, it can result in a pregnancy with more than one baby. This is called a multiple pregnancy.

Your health care team can help you understand how IVF works, what the risks are and whether it's right for you.

Products & Services

• A Book: Mayo Clinic Family Health Book, 5th Edition
• A Book: Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy
• A Book: Mayo Clinic Guide to Fertility and Conception
• Newsletter: Mayo Clinic Health Letter — Digital Edition

Why it's done

In vitro fertilization is a treatment for infertility or genetic problems. Before you have IVF to treat infertility, you and your partner might be able to try other treatment options that involve fewer or no procedures that enter the body. For example, fertility drugs can help the ovaries make more eggs. And a procedure called intrauterine insemination places sperm directly in the uterus near the time when an ovary releases an egg, called ovulation.

Sometimes, IVF is offered as a main treatment for infertility in people over the age of 40. It also can be done if you have certain health conditions. For example, IVF may be an option if you or your partner has:

• Fallopian tube damage or blockage. Eggs move from the ovaries to the uterus through the fallopian tubes. If both tubes get damaged or blocked, that makes it hard for an egg to be fertilized or for an embryo to travel to the uterus.
• Ovulation disorders. If ovulation doesn't happen or doesn't occur often, fewer eggs are available to be fertilized by sperm.
• Endometriosis. This condition happens when tissue that's like the lining of the uterus grows outside of the uterus. Endometriosis often affects the ovaries, uterus and fallopian tubes.
• Uterine fibroids. Fibroids are tumors in the uterus. Most often, they're not cancer. They're common in people in their 30s and 40s. Fibroids can cause a fertilized egg to have trouble attaching to the lining of the uterus.
• Previous surgery to prevent pregnancy. An operation called tubal ligation involves having the fallopian tubes cut or blocked to prevent pregnancy for good. If you wish to conceive after tubal ligation, IVF may help. It might be an option if you don't want or can't get surgery to reverse tubal ligation.
• Issues with sperm. A low number of sperm or unusual changes in their movement, size or shape can make it hard for sperm to fertilize an egg. If medical tests find issues with sperm, a visit to an infertility specialist might be needed to see if there are treatable problems or other health concerns.
• Unexplained infertility. This is when tests can't find the reason for someone's infertility.
• A genetic disorder. If you or your partner is at risk of passing on a genetic disorder to your child, your health care team might recommend getting a procedure that involves IVF . It's called preimplantation genetic testing. After the eggs are harvested and fertilized, they're checked for certain genetic problems. Still, not all of these disorders can be found. Embryos that don't appear to contain a genetic problem can be placed in the uterus.

A desire to preserve fertility due to cancer or other health conditions. Cancer treatments such as radiation or chemotherapy can harm fertility. If you're about to start treatment for cancer, IVF could be a way to still have a baby in the future. Eggs can be harvested from their ovaries and frozen for later use. Or the eggs can be fertilized and frozen as embryos for future use.

People who don't have a working uterus or for whom pregnancy poses a serious health risk might choose IVF using another person to carry the pregnancy. The person is called a gestational carrier. In this case, your eggs are fertilized with sperm, but the embryos that result are placed in the gestational carrier's uterus.

There is a problem with information submitted for this request. Review/update the information highlighted below and resubmit the form.

From Mayo Clinic to your inbox

Sign up for free and stay up to date on research advancements, health tips, current health topics, and expertise on managing health. Click here for an email preview.

Error Email field is required

Error Include a valid email address

To provide you with the most relevant and helpful information, and understand which information is beneficial, we may combine your email and website usage information with other information we have about you. If you are a Mayo Clinic patient, this could include protected health information. If we combine this information with your protected health information, we will treat all of that information as protected health information and will only use or disclose that information as set forth in our notice of privacy practices. You may opt-out of email communications at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link in the e-mail.

Thank you for subscribing!

You'll soon start receiving the latest Mayo Clinic health information you requested in your inbox.

Sorry something went wrong with your subscription

Please, try again in a couple of minutes

IVF raises the chances of certain health problems. From short term to longer term, these risks include:

• Stress. IVF can be draining for the body, mind and finances. Support from counselors, family and friends can help you and your partner through the ups and downs of infertility treatment.
• Complications from the procedure to retrieve eggs. After you take medicines to spur the growth of sacs in the ovaries that each contain an egg, a procedure is done to collect the eggs. This is called egg retrieval. Ultrasound images are used to guide a long, thin needle through the vagina and into the sacs, also called follicles, to harvest the eggs. The needle could cause bleeding, infection or damage to the bowel, bladder or a blood vessel. Risks are also linked with medicines that can help you sleep and prevent pain during the procedure, called anesthesia.

Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome. This is a condition in which the ovaries become swollen and painful. It can be caused by receiving shots of fertility medicines, such as human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), to trigger ovulation.

Symptoms often last up to a week. They include mild belly pain, bloating, upset stomach, vomiting and diarrhea. If you become pregnant, your symptoms might last a few weeks. Rarely, some people get a worse form of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome that also can cause rapid weight gain and shortness of breath.

• Miscarriage. The rate of miscarriage for people who conceive using IVF with fresh embryos is similar to that of people who conceive naturally — about 15% for pregnant people in their 20s to over 50% for those in their 40s. The rate rises with the pregnant person's age.
• Ectopic pregnancy. This is a condition in which a fertilized egg attaches to tissue outside the uterus, often in a fallopian tube. The embryo can't survive outside the uterus, and there's no way to continue the pregnancy. A small percentage of people who use IVF will have an ectopic pregnancy.
• Multiple pregnancy. IVF raises the risk of having more than one baby. Becoming pregnant with multiple babies carries higher risks of pregnancy-related high blood pressure and diabetes, early labor and delivery, low birth weight, and birth defects than does pregnancy with a single baby.
• Birth defects. The age of the mother is the main risk factor for birth defects, no matter how the child is conceived. But assisted reproductive technologies such as IVF are linked with a slightly higher risk of a baby being born with heart issues, digestive problems or other conditions. More research is needed to find out if it's IVF that causes this raised risk or something else.
• Premature delivery and low birth weight. Research suggests that IVF slightly raises the risk that the baby will be born early or with a low birth weight.
• Cancer. Some early studies suggested that certain medicines used to stimulate egg growth might be linked with getting a specific type of ovarian tumor. But more-recent studies do not support these findings. There doesn't seem to be a significantly higher risk of breast, endometrial, cervical or ovarian cancer after IVF .

How you prepare

To get started, you'll want to find a reputable fertility clinic. If you live in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology provide information online about clinics' individual pregnancy and live birth rates.

A fertility clinic's success rate depends on many things. These include the ages and medical issues of people they treat, as well as the clinic's treatment approaches. When you talk with a representative at a clinic, also ask for detailed information about the costs of each step of the procedure.

Before you start a cycle of IVF using your own eggs and sperm, you and your partner will likely need various screening tests. These include:

• Ovarian reserve testing. This involves getting blood tests to find out how many eggs are available in the body. This is also called egg supply. The results of the blood tests, often used together with an ultrasound of the ovaries, can help predict how your ovaries will respond to fertility medicines.
• Semen analysis. Semen is the fluid that contains sperm. An analysis of it can check the amount of sperm, their shape and how they move. This testing may be part of an initial fertility evaluation. Or it might be done shortly before the start of an IVF treatment cycle.
• Infectious disease screening. You and your partner will both be screened for diseases such as HIV .
• Practice embryo transfer. This test doesn't place a real embryo in the uterus. It may be done to figure out the depth of your uterus. It also helps determine the technique that's most likely to work well when one or more actual embryos are inserted.
• Uterine exam. The inside lining of the uterus is checked before you start IVF . This might involve getting a test called sonohysterography. Fluid is sent through the cervix into the uterus using a thin plastic tube. The fluid helps make more-detailed ultrasound images of the uterine lining. Or the uterine exam might include a test called hysteroscopy. A thin, flexible, lighted telescope is inserted through the vagina and cervix into the uterus to see inside it.

Before you begin a cycle of IVF , think about some key questions, including:

How many embryos will be transferred? The number of embryos placed in the uterus often is based on age and the number of eggs collected. Since the rate of fertilized eggs attaching to the lining of uterus is lower for older people, usually more embryos are transferred — except for people who use donor eggs from a young person, genetically tested embryos or in certain other cases.

Most health care professionals follow specific guidelines to prevent a multiple pregnancy with triplets or more. In some countries, legislation limits the number of embryos that can be transferred. Make sure you and your care team agree on the number of embryos that will be placed in the uterus before the transfer procedure.

What will you do with any extra embryos? Extra embryos can be frozen and stored for future use for many years. Not all embryos will survive the freezing and thawing process, but most will.

Having frozen embryos can make future cycles of IVF less expensive and less invasive. Or you might be able to donate unused frozen embryos to another couple or a research facility. You also might choose to discard unused embryos. Make sure you feel comfortable making decisions about extra embryos before they are created.

• How will you handle a multiple pregnancy? If more than one embryo is placed in your uterus, IVF can cause you to have a multiple pregnancy. This poses health risks for you and your babies. In some cases, a surgery called fetal reduction can be used to help a person deliver fewer babies with lower health risks. Getting fetal reduction is a major decision with ethical, emotional and mental risks.
• Have you thought through the risks linked with using donor eggs, sperm or embryos, or a gestational carrier? A trained counselor with expertise in donor issues can help you understand the concerns, such as the legal rights of the donor. You also may need an attorney to file court papers to help you become legal parents of an embryo that's developing in the uterus.

What you can expect

After the preparations are completed, one cycle of IVF can take about 2 to 3 weeks. More than one cycle may be needed. The steps in a cycle go as follows:

Treatment to make mature eggs

The start of an IVF cycle begins by using lab-made hormones to help the ovaries to make eggs — rather than the single egg that usually develops each month. Multiple eggs are needed because some eggs won't fertilize or develop correctly after they're combined with sperm.

Certain medicines may be used to:

• Stimulate the ovaries. You might receive shots of hormones that help more than one egg develop at a time. The shot may contain a follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), a luteinizing hormone (LH) or both.
• Help eggs mature. A hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), or other medicines, can help the eggs ripen and get ready to be released from their sacs, called follicles, in the ovaries.
• Delay ovulation. These medicines prevent the body from releasing the developing eggs too soon.
• Prepare the lining of the uterus. You might start to take supplements of the hormone progesterone on the day of the procedure to collect your eggs. Or you might take these supplements around the time an embryo is placed in the uterus. They improve the odds that a fertilized egg attaches to the lining of your uterus.

Your doctor decides which medicines to use and when to use them.

Most often, you'll need 1 to 2 weeks of ovarian stimulation before your eggs are ready to be collected with the egg retrieval procedure. To figure out when the eggs are ready, you may need:

• Vaginal ultrasound, an imaging exam of the ovaries to track the developing follicles. Those are the fluid-filled sacs in the ovaries where eggs mature.
• Blood tests, to check on how you respond to ovarian stimulation medicines. Estrogen levels often rise as follicles develop. Progesterone levels remain low until after ovulation.

Sometimes, IVF cycles need to be canceled before the eggs are collected. Reasons for this include:

• Not enough follicles develop.
• Ovulation happens too soon.
• Too many follicles develop, raising the risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome.
• Other medical issues happen.

If your cycle is canceled, your care team might recommend changing medicines or the amounts you take, called doses. This might lead to a better response during future IVF cycles. Or you may be advised that you need an egg donor.

Egg retrieval

This is the procedure to collect the eggs from one or both ovaries. It takes place in your doctor's office or a clinic. The procedure is done 34 to 36 hours after the final shot of fertility medicine and before ovulation.

• Before egg retrieval, you'll be given medicine to help you relax and keep you from feeling pain.
• An ultrasound device is placed into the vagina to find follicles. Those are the sacs in the ovaries that each contain an egg. Then a thin needle is inserted into an ultrasound guide to go through the vagina and into the follicles to collect the eggs. This process is called transvaginal ultrasound aspiration.
• If your ovaries can't be reached through the vagina this way, an ultrasound of the stomach area may be used to guide the needle through the stomach and into the ovaries.
• The eggs are removed from the follicles through a needle connected to a suction device. Multiple eggs can be removed in about 20 minutes.
• After the procedure, you may have cramping and feelings of fullness or pressure.
• Mature eggs are placed in a liquid that helps them develop. Eggs that appear healthy and mature will be mixed with sperm to attempt to create embryos. But not all eggs are able to be fertilized with success.

Sperm retrieval

If you're using your partner's sperm, a semen sample needs to be collected at your doctor's office or clinic the morning of egg retrieval. Or sperm can be collected ahead of time and frozen.

Most often, the semen sample is collected through masturbation. Other methods can be used if a person can't ejaculate or has no sperm in the semen. For example, a procedure called testicular aspiration uses a needle or surgery to collect sperm directly from the testicle. Sperm from a donor also can be used. Sperm are separated from the semen fluid in the lab.

Fertilization

Two common methods can be used to try to fertilize eggs with sperm:

• Conventional insemination. Healthy sperm and mature eggs are mixed and kept in a controlled environment called an incubator.
• Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). A single healthy sperm is injected right into each mature egg. Often, ICSI is used when semen quality or number is an issue. Or it might be used if fertilization attempts during prior IVF cycles didn't work.

In certain situations, other procedures may be recommended before embryos are placed in the uterus. These include:

Assisted hatching. About 5 to 6 days after fertilization, an embryo "hatches" from the thin layer that surrounds it, called a membrane. This lets the embryo attach to the lining of the uterus.

If you're older and you want to get pregnant, or if you have had past IVF attempts that didn't work, a technique called assisted hatching might be recommended. With this procedure, a hole is made in the embryo's membrane just before the embryo is placed in the uterus. This helps the embryo hatch and attach to the lining of the uterus. Assisted hatching is also useful for eggs or embryos that were frozen, as that process can harden the membrane.

Preimplantation genetic testing. Embryos are allowed to develop in the incubator until they reach a stage where a small sample can be removed. The sample is tested for certain genetic diseases or the correct number of threadlike structures of DNA, called chromosomes. There are usually 46 chromosomes in each cell. Embryos that don't contain affected genes or chromosomes can be transferred to the uterus.

Preimplantation genetic testing can lower the chances that a parent will pass on a genetic problem. It can't get rid of the risk completely. Prenatal testing may still be recommended during pregnancy.

Embryo transfer

Egg-retrieval technique

Typically, transvaginal ultrasound aspiration is used to retrieve eggs. During this procedure, an ultrasound probe is inserted into the vagina to identify follicles. A needle is guided through the vagina and into the follicles. The eggs are removed from the follicles through the needle, which is connected to a suction device.

In intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), a single healthy sperm is injected directly into each mature egg. ICSI often is used when semen quality or number is a problem or if fertilization attempts during prior in vitro fertilization cycles failed.

Three days after fertilization, a healthy embryo will contain about 6 to 10 cells. By the fifth or sixth day, the fertilized egg is known as a blastocyst — a rapidly dividing ball of cells. The inner group of cells will become the embryo. The outer group will become the cells that nourish and protect it.

The procedure to place one or more embryos in the uterus is done at your doctor's office or a clinic. It often takes place 2 to 6 days after eggs are collected.

• You might be given a mild sedative to help you relax. The procedure is often painless, but you might have mild cramping.
• A long, thin, flexible tube called a catheter is placed into the vagina, through the cervix and into the uterus.
• A syringe that contains one or more embryos in a small amount of fluid is attached to the end of the catheter.
• Using the syringe, the embryo or embryos are placed into the uterus.

If the procedure works, an embryo will attach to the lining of your uterus about 6 to 10 days after egg retrieval.

After the procedure

After the embryo transfer, you can get back to your usual daily routine. Your ovaries may still be enlarged, so vigorous activities or sex might cause discomfort. Ask your care team how long you should stay away from these.

Typical side effects include:

• Passing a small amount of clear or bloody fluid shortly after the procedure. This is due to the swabbing of the cervix before the embryo transfer.
• Breast tenderness due to high estrogen levels.
• Mild bloating.
• Mild cramping.
• Constipation.

Call your care team if you have moderate or severe pain, or heavy bleeding from the vagina after the embryo transfer. You'll likely to need to get checked for complications such as infection, twisting of an ovary and ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome.

At least 12 days after egg retrieval, you get a blood test to find out whether you're pregnant.

• If you're pregnant, you'll likely be referred to an obstetrician or other pregnancy specialist for prenatal care.
• If you're not pregnant, you'll stop taking progesterone and likely get your period within a week. Call your care team if you don't get your period or if you have unusual bleeding. If you'd like to try another cycle of IVF , your care team might suggest steps you can take to improve your chances of getting pregnant next time.

The chances of giving birth to a healthy baby after using IVF depend on various factors, including:

• Maternal age. The younger you are, the more likely you are to get pregnant and give birth to a healthy baby using your own eggs during IVF . Often, people 40 and older are counseled to think about using donor eggs during IVF to boost the chances of success.
• Embryo status. Transfer of embryos that are more developed is linked with higher pregnancy rates compared with less-developed embryos. But not all embryos survive the development process. Talk with your care team about your specific situation.
• Reproductive history. People who've given birth before are more likely to be able to get pregnant using IVF than are people who've never given birth. Success rates are lower for people who've already tried IVF multiple times but didn't get pregnant.
• Cause of infertility. Having an average supply of eggs raises your chances of being able to get pregnant using IVF . People who have severe endometriosis are less likely to be able to get pregnant using IVF than are those who have infertility without a clear cause.
• Lifestyle factors. Smoking can lower the chance of success with IVF . Often, people who smoke have fewer eggs retrieved during IVF and may miscarry more often. Obesity also can lower the chances of getting pregnant and having a baby. Use of alcohol, drugs, too much caffeine and certain medicines also can be harmful.

Talk with your care team about any factors that apply to you and how they may affect your chances of a successful pregnancy.

Clinical trials

Explore Mayo Clinic studies of tests and procedures to help prevent, detect, treat or manage conditions.

• FAQs: Treating infertility. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. http://www.acog.org/Patients/FAQs/Treating-Infertility. Accessed Feb. 23, 2023.
• In vitro fertilization. AskMayoExpert. Mayo Clinic; 2022.
• ART: Step-by-step guide. American Society for Reproductive Medicine. https://www.sart.org/patients/a-patients-guide-to-assisted-reproductive-technology/general-information/art-step-by-step-guide/. Accessed Feb. 27, 2023.
• Anchan RM, et al. Gestational carrier pregnancy. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/search. Accessed Feb. 23, 2023.
• Infertility fact sheet. Office on Women's Health. http://www.womenshealth.gov/publications/our-publications/fact-sheet/infertility.html. Accessed Feb. 23, 2023.
• Ho J. In vitro fertilization. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/search. Accessed Feb. 23, 2023.
• FAQs: IVF. Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology. https://www.sart.org/patients/frequently-asked-questions/. Accessed Feb. 23, 2023.
• FAQs: Infertility. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/Infertility/. Accessed Feb. 23, 2023.
• FAQs: Evaluating infertility. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. https://www.acog.org/Patients/FAQs/Evaluating-Infertility. Accessed Feb. 23, 2023.
• Ovarian hyperstimulation. Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology. https://www.sart.org/patients/a-patients-guide-to-assisted-reproductive-technology/stimulation/ovarian-hyperstimulation-syndrome/. Accessed Feb. 23, 2023.
• Guidance on the limits to the number of embryos to transfer: A committee opinion. Practice Committee of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine and the Practice Committee for the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technologies. https://www.asrm.org/news-and-publications/practice-committee-documents/. Accessed March 1, 2023.
• In vitro fertilization (IVF): What are the risks? American Society for Reproductive Medicine. https://www.sart.org/patients/risks-of-ivf/ Accessed Feb. 2, 2024.
• Preparing for IVF: Emotional considerations. Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology. https://www.sart.org/patients/a-patients-guide-to-assisted-reproductive-technology/general-information/preparing-for-ivf-emotional-considerations/. Accessed March 1, 2023.
• Micromanipulation. Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology. https://www.sart.org/patients/a-patients-guide-to-assisted-reproductive-technology/general-information/micromanipulation/. Accessed March 1, 2023.
• Preparing for in vitro fertilization (IVF): Lifestyle factors. Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology. https://www.sart.org/patients/fyi-videos/preparing-for-in-vitro-fertilization-ivf-lifestyle-factors/. Accessed March 1, 2023.
• Ubaldi FM, et al. Advanced maternal age in IVF: Still a challenge? The present and the future of its treatment. Frontiers in Endocrinology. 2019;10:94.
• Can I freeze my eggs to use later if I'm not sick? American Society for Reproductive Medicine. https://www.reproductivefacts.org/news-and-publications/patient-fact-sheets-and-booklets/documents/fact-sheets-and-info-booklets/can-i-freeze-my-eggs-to-use-later-if-im-not-sick/. Accessed Feb. 24, 2023.
• Medications for inducing ovulation: A guide for patients. American Society for Reproductive Medicine. https://www.reproductivefacts.org/news-and-publications/patient-fact-sheets-and-booklets/documents/fact-sheets-and-info-booklets/medications-for-inducing-ovulation-booklet/. Accessed Feb. 24, 2023.
• In vitro fertilization (IVF): What are the risks? American Society for Reproductive Medicine. https://www.reproductivefacts.org/news-and-publications/patient-fact-sheets-and-booklets/documents/fact-sheets-and-info-booklets/in-vitro-fertilization-ivf-what-are-the-risks/. Accessed Feb. 24, 2023.
• Commonly asked questions about the US national ART surveillance system. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/art/reports/2019/commonly-asked-questions.html. Accessed Feb. 27, 2023.
• Evaluation before IVF. Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology. https://www.sart.org/patients/sart-patient-evaluation/. Accessed Feb. 27, 2023.
• Multifetal pregnancy reduction. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. https://www.acog.org/clinical/clinical-guidance/committee-opinion/articles/2017/09/multifetal-pregnancy-reduction. Accessed Feb. 27, 2023.
• Third party reproduction. Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology. https://www.sart.org/patients/third-party-reproduction/. Accessed Feb. 27, 2023.
• Ho J. In vitro fertilization: Overview of clinical issues and questions. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/search. Accessed Feb. 27, 2023.
• American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Fertility drugs and cancer: A guideline. Fertility and Sterility. 2016; doi:10.1016/j.fertnstert.2016.08.035.
• Bart CJM. Overview of ovulation induction. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/search. Accessed March 2, 2023.
• Gershenson DM, et al. In vitro fertilization. In: Comprehensive Gynecology. 8th ed. Elsevier; 2022. https://www.clinicalkey.com. Accessed March 2, 2023.
• Barcroft JF, et al. Fertility treatment and cancers-the eternal conundrum: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Human Reproduction. 2021; doi:10.1093/humrep/deaa293.
• Hornstein MD, et al. Endometriosis: Treatment of infertility in females. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/search. Accessed March 2, 2023.
• Egg retrieval technique
• Female fertility tips
• Female infertility
• High-risk pregnancy
• Infertility
• Low sperm count
• Male infertility
• Male masturbation: Does frequency affect male fertility?
• Ovarian cysts and infertility: A connection?

News from Mayo Clinic

• Mayo Clinic in Rochester team ranked among 'America's Best Fertility Clinics' by Newsweek April 23, 2024, 05:30 p.m. CDT
• Mayo Clinic in Rochester top ranked on 'America's Best Fertility Clinics' in Newsweek rankings March 15, 2023, 01:33 p.m. CDT
• Doctors & Departments

Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission.

• Opportunities

Mayo Clinic Press

Check out these best-sellers and special offers on books and newsletters from Mayo Clinic Press .

• Mayo Clinic on Incontinence - Mayo Clinic Press Mayo Clinic on Incontinence
• The Essential Diabetes Book - Mayo Clinic Press The Essential Diabetes Book
• Mayo Clinic on Hearing and Balance - Mayo Clinic Press Mayo Clinic on Hearing and Balance
• FREE Mayo Clinic Diet Assessment - Mayo Clinic Press FREE Mayo Clinic Diet Assessment
• Mayo Clinic Health Letter - FREE book - Mayo Clinic Press Mayo Clinic Health Letter - FREE book

Make twice the impact

Your gift can go twice as far to advance cancer research and care!

Whenever IVF Sets Me Back, I Travel

By Annie Daly

All products featured on Condé Nast Traveler are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

I was sitting on the couch in my sweatpants, waiting for the phone to ring while pretending I wasn’t, when I got the call. “I’m so sorry, Annie,” my fertility nurse, Mio, said sympathetically. “Your embryo transfer didn’t work.”

I can’t tell you what Nurse Mio said next, exactly, or how I replied in return. That entire conversation was a blur. A year and a half earlier, after many unsuccessful months of trying to conceive naturally, I’d started in vitro fertilization ( IVF ), a grueling, needle-filled, multi-step process in which a fertility doctor pumps you or an egg donor full of hormones to create as many eggs as possible, then retrieves and fertilizes them with sperm to create embryos, and finally transfers one or two of those embryos back into your body in the hopes it will result in pregnancy two weeks later. To find out that my first transfer hadn’t worked, after all that, was heartbreaking.

But when Mio emailed me a few hours later with instructions on how to proceed, I finally felt a glimmer of hope. Not because she told me it was all a mistake and the transfer had worked after all (it hadn’t), or because she knew it would work next time (she didn’t), but because she’d given me a timeline: My husband Rahul and I didn’t need to be back at the fertility clinic for another three weeks.

“Sooo,” I asked him through a slew of sniffles. “ Jamaica next week?”

Travel has always been my go-to tool for personal growth and healing . I even turned this passion into a career as a travel and wellness writer. So now, it feels only natural to lean on my love of globetrotting to help me through the pain of IVF—and, thankfully, both my career and good insurance have helped me afford to do so.

In the past two years, I’ve endured one failed IUI (artificial insemination), three egg retrievals, two failed embryo transfers, one canceled embryo transfer, and one laparoscopic surgery in which my doctor found endometriosis, not to mention all the months of trying naturally. Yet despite all the disappointments, I remain hopeful, thanks in large part to the therapeutic trips I’ve taken after each setback.

In Curaçao, writer Annie Daly attempted to recover from the pain of an egg retrieval.

First there was Curaçao , solo. I touched down there last September, after my first two back-to-back egg retrievals had left me feeling bloated and bruised in every way. Though Rahul and I would've loved to travel together, he couldn’t miss work, and I simply could not wait. The emotional comedown after a retrieval can be brutal, as your body gets filled with extra hormones for weeks leading up to the procedure, and then boom: You wake up from your anesthesia in a hospital bed, and a nurse is there feeding you Teddy Grahams. I needed a dose of nice weather and novelty to lift up my spirits during the withdrawal phase, and Curaçao, with its colorful houses, Dutch Caribbean culture, and location right outside the hurricane belt in the Caribbean Sea , seemed like just the spot.

I rented a small oceanfront Airbnb in Lagún , a remote village on the northwestern tip of the island known for its rugged beaches and bright aqua waters, and spent the first day high on Vitamin D. But then I felt a tickle in my throat, and by the next day, I had a full-blown cold. I spent a couple hours in my Airbnb feeling sorry for myself before I realized I was looking at my cold all wrong. Perhaps it was really my body's ultimate way of healing, of flushing everything out, of truly processing what I’d just gone through. All summer, I’d tried to stay positive and grateful that Rahul and I even had access to IVF at all. But inside, I was hurting and riddled with questions, the kind that are easy to ask but impossible to answer: Why me? Why can so many of my friends get pregnant so easily, but I can’t? How long will I be in this limbo? And, perhaps worst of all: What if this doesn’t work? Away from my apartment in Brooklyn, away from the doctors and the needles and the fluorescent rooms, I was finally able to fully feel my emotions. And then on my last day, with my cold finally out of my system, I washed them away in the sea.

Six months later, when Rahul and I reached Port Antonio, Jamaica , a secluded fishing village on the northeastern coast of the island that we’ve visited for years, I was in need of even more healing. We both were. Losing an embryo feels like losing a future, and so we did the only thing we could do: We embraced the present. We swam in the famously tranquil Blue Lagoon, a deep, spring-fed natural pool that’s surrounded by thick green mangroves. We ate our way through all of our favorite jerk chicken spots , and determined that Piggy’s —a small red shack where chicken breasts, thighs, festival (deep-fried bread typically served with jerk), and an epic homemade hot sauce are the only items on the menu—is still the best. And we enjoyed our little orange Airbnb, which was nestled in the mountains above town and felt like a tropical treehouse sanctuary. It even had a stray cat who hung out with us every morning while we drank our coffee and listened to reggae on the staticky radio.

Shannon McMahon

CNT Editors

Hannah Towey

But it was our conversations with strangers that touched us most. One night, we popped into a roadside bar called Purple Haze, and started chatting with a group of Jamaican women. When they asked us if we had kids, our whole rollercoaster of an IVF story just came spilling out. In a particularly hilarious moment, one of the women asked Rahul if he was sure he was “going deep enough,” but after that, they ultimately came together to remind us that these things take time. That life is a miracle, after all.

Returning to Jamaica with her husband, Rahul, after losing an embryo, the writer found a new sense of hope.

On another night, Rahul and I made our way down to Piggy’s for some more jerk and met a local musician, John Pryce, who was sitting outside strumming Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds” on his guitar. During my embryo transfer, my doctor had asked me to choose a song to listen to while he was implanting me (a sentence I never thought I’d write), and I’d chosen “Three Little Birds” because of its reassuring lyrics: “Don’t worry about a thing, ‘cause every little thing is gonna be alright.” When the transfer failed, I thought that song had been ruined for me forever. But then along came John Pryce with a new and better memory to take its place.

I joined him for a cathartic singalong, and now when I think of that song, I think of him, I think of Piggy’s, and mostly, I think of hope.

Our second embryo transfer also failed—a pain even deeper than the first—but I held on to that hope. To reset once again, I made a last-minute plan to travel to Bali , staying at the new Buahan, a Banyan Tree Escape in the jungle north of Ubud . The scenery was spectacular, as evidenced by the one million rice terrace photos on my camera roll, but for me it was the Balinese spiritual purification ceremony that made the trip.

Two Balinese priests guided my group down to a sacred waterfall and asked us to release our canang sari (offerings) into the river, along with an idea that was no longer serving us. In that moment, I thought back to a phrase I’d learned in Hawai‘i, “i ka manawa kūpono,” which translates to “at the right time.” Native Hawaiians believe that timelines are a very Western construct, and the best thing for you will happen to you at the best time. And so, standing there in a peaceful river in Bali, surrounded by bright pink hibiscus and all of the lush greenery, I released my self-imposed timeline and reminded myself to trust the universe.

I know I can't control when or even if I become pregnant. And that uncertainty continues to be incredibly hard. I'm currently going through my third embryo transfer, and I still have no idea if it's going to work. But again and again, my travels have reminded me there's a big, beautiful world out there to comfort me while I wait.

Ready to get started?

Let us know where to reach you, and a

recruiter will be in touch shortly.

Questions? 800.866.0407

• Portal login
• Search jobs
• Refer a nurse
• For employers
• Testimonials
• 800.866.0407
• Get started
• Benefits home

Find the best travel nurse job here.

Tell us what drives your work and life. It’s how we create the most rewarding travel nurse experience you’ll ever have. We do it together.

Your first step: a simple search.

LPN-General

LPN/LVN-Dialysis

LPN/LVN-Dialysis/Acute

LPN/LVN-Dialysis/Chronic

LPN/LVN-Home Health

LPN/LVN-Hospice

LPN/LVN-Long Term Care

LPN/LVN-LTAC

LPN/LVN-Medical/Surgical

PCT-Dialysis

PCT-Dialysis/Acute

PCT-Dialysis/Chronic

RN-Burn ICU

RN-Cardiac Cath Lab

RN-Cardiac ICU

RN-Case Manager-Home Visit

RN-Case Manager-Hospice

RN-Dialysis

RN-Dialysis/Acute

RN-Dialysis/Chronic

RN-Dialysis/Critical Care

RN-Dialysis/Dialysis

RN-Dialysis/Long Term Acute Care

RN-Dialysis/Medical/Surgical

RN-Dialysis/Pediatric

RN-Dialysis/Pediatrics

RN-Dialysis/Peritoneal

RN-Emergency Room

RN-Endoscopy/GI

RN-Home Health

RN-Hospital Based Case Management

RN-ICU/Critical Care

RN-Interventional Radiology

RN-Labor and Delivery

RN-Long Term Care

RN-Medical ICU

RN-Medical/Surgical

RN-Medical/Surgical/Telemetry

RN-Mother Baby/Post Partum

RN-Neonatal ICU

RN-Neuro ICU

RN-Oncology

RN-Operating Room

RN-PCU/Stepdown

RN-PCU/Stepdown/Telemetry

RN-Pediatric Cath Lab

RN-Pediatric ICU

RN-Pediatric Oncology

RN-Pediatrics

RN-Pediatrics ER

RN-Post Anesthesia Care Unit

RN-Psychiatry

RN-Rehab/Skilled Nursing

RN-Rehabilitation

RN-School Nurse

RN-Surgical ICU

RN-Telemetry

RN-Urgent Care

RN-Vascular Access

Technologist-Certified Sterile Processor

Technologist-Certified Surgical Technologist

Technologist-Sterile Processor

Technologist-Surgical Technologist

Featured specialties

Work with us. get what you really want..

We do this work because we care. We ask questions, listen, and work hard for the best results. Just like you do.

With RNnetwork, you get:

Be the center of our universe. Your wants, needs, and concerns have our full attention and respect. You have to feel valued to have an outstanding travel nurse experience.

Recognition

We see you. You’re not like everyone else, and that’s a beautiful thing. From pay to personal preferences for communications, housing, and more, we build what’s best for you.

Support is a certainty. You feel it in our first meeting, and every step thereafter. From job search and credentialing to your assignment and return flight, we’re here for you. 

The best experience is easier than you think.

You work hard, so let’s talk about the simple things. There’s so much that makes travel nursing fun and rewarding. Here are three ways RNnetwork makes it even better — and easier.

We offer 401(k), travel reimbursement, and multiple ways to earn bonuses. We help you find tax advantages, too.

Day-one benefits

Enjoy industry-leading benefits, including health, dental, and vision insurance and more. Keep your free spirit. Add corporate coverage.

Home sweet home

Housing can make or break travel. Gather your things, pets, and people. Our experts find the perfect area and amenities for a great home.

How do travel nurses feel about their work?

“I was able to spend a few months exploring the Hawaiian islands. You help people along the way, and you get paid for it.”

–Kelly Kilcoyne, NICU travel nurse