Cheryl Phua: When you can have sex during IVF or egg freezing

There’s a lot of conflicting information online about when it’s safe to have sex during IVF or egg freezing. Cheryl Phua explains the truth about when it’s OK to do it – and even when it may be helpful.

A lot of IVF or egg freezing patients get worried about when they can have sex during treatment – and if the vigorous activity will harm their eggs.

There’s a lot of conflicting information online about it.

Here’s answers to five common questions.

1) Is it OK to have sex during treatment?

During injections, I tell them it’s fine as long as they are not too uncomfortable with the increased size of the ovaries (you often feel bloated and heavy).

Listen to your body and stop if it’s painful or doesn’t feel right.

It's safe to have sex during IVF or egg freezing as long as you wear protection and feel comfortable, Dr Cheryl Phua says.

If it still feels good then go for it – just remember to use a condom.

This is because although you’re on medication to stop ovulation and the release of the egg until the trigger shot, there’s still a small risk of an unplanned pregnancy, or multiple pregnancies.

More than one pregnancy can be dangerous for mum and for the bubs.

There’s also the possibility that the pregnancy could implant in an abnormal location such as somebody’s fallopian tube (an ectopic pregnancy which requires immediate medical attention).

2) What if the sex hurts?

It’s rare but there is a small risk that if the intercourse is vigorous it could cause the ovaries to twist. This is because they are large from the hormone injections.

It’s also something that can happen if there’s a cyst, which can form due to the medication.

If a twist happens it can become an ovarian torsion where the blood supply gets cut off to that ovary.

You would feel severe pain, nausea and vomiting from this.

It’s very, very rare but if you don’t seek help then that ovary could then slowly cut off its own blood supply and stop functioning.

3) Will sex damage the eggs?

I totally understand that when you’re doing egg freezing you’re dating or you may be in a relationship.

I get asked this question all the time.

There is no impact or damage to the eggs from as long as they are still in the follicles.

Just remember to use a condom.

4) Will sex after an embryo transfer cause it to fall out?

Women undergoing IVF get quite worried about whether they can have sex after the embryo transfer.

I often get asked if it will make it fall out.

Interestingly, there was recently a meta-analysis – which pools previous studies together – that said if you do have sex afterwards it may actually improve pregnancy rates, due to immune effects.

Cheryl Phua answers common questions on sex during IVF and egg freezing.

So to put it more simply, because the embryo is made up of 50 per cent male DNA and 50 per cent female DNA, the belief is that the sperm tells the woman’s body, ‘hey don’t reject this embryo just because it’s foreign DNA’.

There are some people who miscarry often and have multiple embryo transfers and don’t fall pregnant and there are theories to suggest that maybe it’s the immune system that might be at play causing these issues.

It’s usually recommended to wait two days after the transfer though to avoid any infection from the procedure.

And there’s a small risk of falling pregnant, but it’s very unlikely because we do the transfer five days after the egg collection.

5) Can I have sex after a frozen embryo transfer?

Some clinics might recommend not having unprotected sex after doing a frozen embryo transfer, so speak to your specialist.

That’s because if there’s a risk that you release your own egg naturally you may fall pregnant on top of the embryo transfer.

That means, although uncommon, you could end up having twins.

I’ve actually had patients accidentally fall pregnant and have twins who are not identical for this very reason.

It's possible to fall pregnant naturally after a frozen embryo transfer as your body might naturally release an egg.

They say, ‘we tried for ages and nothing happened’.

We usually don’t aim for twins because of the higher risks that come with it.

There’s a 30 per cent increase in risk of cerebral palsy in the babies and a greater chance of diabetes, high blood pressure and early labour in the mum.

Dr Cheryl Phua is a distinguished specialist offering personalised fertility and gynaecological care with IVF Australia in Sydney. She is also among the 5 per cent of gynaecologists and obstetricians with a subspecialty in reproductive endocrinology, which focuses on hormone health, fertility assessments and therapeutic options.

You can follow her on Instagram at @drcherylphua or ivf_australia.

Originally published as Cheryl Phua: When you can have sex during IVF or egg freezing