How to Figure DPO After FET

Women who undergo invitro fertilization (IVF) treatment often have more embryos created than can or will be implanted at one time. The additional embryos are cryogenically frozen to preserve them for future implantation. If the initial IVF is not successful or a woman wishes to conceive another child in the same manner, a process known as frozen embryo transfer (FET) allows the woman to use her previously created embryos and not undergo additional egg harvesting. In order to determine the exact time to transfer the embryos, as well as determining when and if conception occurs, the woman and her fertility doctor must keep track of her days past ovulation (DPO).

Things You'll Need

• Calendar

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Instructions

• 1

  Mark the first day of your menstrual cycle on a calendar. The first day is defined as the day you start bleeding.

• 2

  Mark the middle of your cycle on the calendar. This can vary between women and even differ from month to month. However, ovulation typically occurs in the middle of the menstrual cycle. Women who know their relative cycle length can calculate this day with relative accuracy. For example, a woman who has a cycle between 24 and 28 days, may ovulate anywhere between the twelfth and fourteenth day of her cycle.

• 3

  Visit your fertility doctor for regular ultrasounds to determine the thickness of your uterine lining. Inform the doctor of the first day of your menstrual cycle to aid in the precise calculation of your DPO.

• 4

  Return for frozen embryo transfer approximately two days past ovulation. While this is a rule of thumb, your doctor will definitively determine your implantation date by the thickness of your uterine lining. The appropriate thickness allows for implantation. The DPO is just a guideline for you and the doctor.

• 5

  Ask your doctor your DPO on the day of FET implantation. If you forget, assume it is two days.

• 6

  Mark the day of your FET on a calendar and mark backward two days or the number of days your doctor told you. This will allow you to count your DPO going forward.