Frequently Asked Questions

Ideally 4–6 weeks before your planned start date so there is time to review results and adjust the plan if needed.

Slightly different donor samples are frozen, so they're thawed first, then washed using the same techniques as fresh samples.

Not necessarily. If count is low but motility and morphology are good, IUI or natural pregnancy can still occur. If counts are very low or multiple parameters are abnormal, IVF with ICSI offers the best success rates.

The egg retrieval process takes place under sedation, and therefore, it will be pain-free throughout the process. The administration of hormones via injection takes place subcutaneously and lasts for a few minutes only, meaning that most women do not experience much pain from this process.

Often yes, AMH predicts quantity more than quality. Some women with low AMH retrieve fewer but high-quality eggs that lead to successful pregnancies. A consultation and baseline scan will give a clearer picture.

Your team will call with updates on Day 1 (fertilisation), Day 3 (cleavage), and Day 5 (blastocyst). You can also ask at any point

Yes. Vitrification survival rates for high-quality blastocysts are 90–98% at experienced centres. Multiple studies show babies born from frozen transfers have equivalent health outcomes to those from fresh cycles.

Yes, indeed. Antioxidant-based diets, exercise, stress management, quitting smoking, and consuming less alcohol have all been found to be beneficial. Coenzyme Q10, zinc, and carnitine are examples of supplemental nutrients that seem to have some impact. The process takes three months since it takes three months to produce sperm.

Yes. Most patients continue work during stimulation. Egg retrieval day requires sedation and a companion; plan to rest that day and the next. After embryo transfer, light activity is fine, though many patients prefer rest for a few days.

Every year after 35 reduces the reserve you are working with. If you are thinking about it, the best time to start the investigation process is now, even if treatment is delayed.

Some centres use time-lapse incubators (such as Embryoscope) that photograph embryos every few minutes without removing them from incubation. This gives embryologists more data to select the best embryo. Ask if this is available at your clinic. Such type of traditional way of embryo selection has equivalent results as compare to Embryoscope

Coverage varies widely. Most ART procedures are not covered under standard Indian health insurance as of 2026, though diagnostic tests sometimes are. Check your policy.

Approximately 3–5 additional weeks between retrieval and transfer, one menstrual cycle for the endometrium to reset, followed by 2–3 weeks of preparation.

The absence of sperms does not imply azoospermia. Dr. Charmila will carry out hormone tests and do a testicular ultrasound scan. Provided that there are sperms in the testicles, TESA and ICSI would work to obtain the sperms for IVF.

There may be cases where there is no proper fertilization or the retrieval of the eggs was not successful. Dr. Charmila will give you your options for next time, such as ICSI or other options.

Despite the type of pregnancy, the risks associated with it are higher in older women, namely, gestational diabetes, hypertension, and the probability of Caesarean delivery.

ICSI eliminates the natural process of sperm selection. However, theoretically, this procedure may pose some increased risks of genetic diseases. The results, however, in practice show that these are comparable for most people. Your physician will advise you about this possibility, if applicable.

Some tests (fasting insulin, glucose) require an overnight fast. AMH, FSH, and the infection panel do not. Your clinic will advise you ahead of your appointment.

Adding a frozen cycle does add some cost (vitrification, storage, FET preparation). But it is significantly less expensive than a full new stimulation cycle if transfer is needed again.

Here’s an example -  A sample with 20 million sperm might yield 8 to 10  million motile sperms after washing. It may appear that the count has reduced, but what the post-wash count shows is the actually useful sperms. This is why semen analysis is done before IVF/IUI, to ensure adequate post-wash numbers. 

There is no proven method to increase the number of eggs in your reserve. Some supplements (CoQ10, DHEA) may modestly improve the quality of available eggs, but they do not create new eggs. A healthy lifestyle and minimising environmental toxin exposure support the eggs you have.

Yes. A careful, lower-dose protocol with close monitoring and a freeze-all strategy makes IVF entirely feasible and safe for most women with PCOS.

With only local anesthetic or no anesthetic, a thin-scope diagnostic hysteroscopy is typically easily tolerated. Operative procedures under sedation are more comfortable. Mild cramping after is normal.

Typically 4–6 weeks total: 1–2 weeks for lining prep, 1 week for embryo thaw and transfer, then 2 weeks until HCG test.

Mini IVF is lower cost per cycle but produces fewer eggs. For poor responders who already have few eggs in a full cycle, mini IVF may not produce significantly fewer and its reduced medication burden may suit some patients. The evidence does not show a clear overall advantage.

Mild OHSS from stimulation can persist into a frozen cycle, but severe OHSS from hCG cannot occur in a freeze-all strategy because there is no early pregnancy hCG

Before beginning stimulation or FET preparation, the endometrium is given a full natural cycle, usually lasting 4–6 weeks.

FET avoids the OHSS risk of fresh cycles and allows time to optimise uterine condition. Many specialists now prefer FET for most patients. It is safer and more successful if there are medical needs to do FET. In other cases, the outcomes of fresh and FET cycles is the same. 

AMH of 0.4 indicates low reserve but does not mean zero eggs. Many women with AMH between 0.3 and 1.0 retrieve useful numbers of eggs with an optimised protocol. A consultation with an experienced specialist is the best next step.

If you are not pregnant, mild OHSS goes away 7–10 days following retrieval. Because pregnancy hCG causes the syndrome, symptoms may get worse for two to three weeks before getting better if you get pregnant.

Ultrasound misses approximately 20–30% of intrauterine pathologies that hysteroscopy identifies. Particularly for women with unexplained infertility or previous IVF failure, hysteroscopy remains worthwhile

Yes. After a negative test, you can often begin preparation for the next FET cycle within 1–2 weeks if physically and emotionally ready.

No. It takes place in the cycle before your IVF cycle (or at the start of your FET preparation). It has no impact on ovarian stimulation or embryo development.

Not at all. Many women achieve pregnancies with their own eggs at 41. Your AMH and AFC are the best guide. A consultation and fresh investigation is always the right starting poin

Yes immediately. There are no restrictions after a mock transfer other than mild paracetamol if you have cramping.

Counselling with a fertility psychologist helps enormously. For many women, moving towards donor eggs proves to be an empowering experience concentrating more on the gestation process and baby than on the genetic link.

Not usually, only if there is a specific reason (first transfer, previous difficulty, change in clinician). It does not need to be repeated once your anatomy is documented.

According to ART Act 2021, the offspring that results from the use of donor oocytes is regarded as the full biological offspring of the birth parents and not of the donors, who have no rights over the child.

Call the Modi Pluro team immediately if you miss a dose or inject at the wrong time. Do not double up without guidance. Missed injections can affect follicle development, but one missed dose rarely ruins a cycle the team will advise the safest way to get back on track.

Light walking is fine. High-impact exercise, heavy lifting, and vigorous activity are not recommended during stimulation as the ovaries grow and become heavier, increasing the risk of torsion. Dr. Modi will advise you on activity levels specific to your cycle.

Usually yes, but discuss with Dr. Tank. If LH surge hasn't occurred by cycle day 18–20, switching to medicated is reasonable in a future cycle. 

Yes, usually by ₹5,000–10,000. But if natural FET gets cancelled and you cycle again, the cost difference disappears.

Only if your local clinics lack proper registration or if you have a specific diagnosis requiring specialist expertise. Good clinics exist in most major cities.

his occurs in certain cycles, especially those in which there are lower numbers of eggs collected or when the quality of the eggs is poor. A Day 3 transfer may be recommended by your physician in future cycles.

1–2 failed cycles is not enough to switch, unless something went clearly wrong. 3+ failures with poor communication warrants a second opinion or clinic change.

Yes. Modern laboratory conditions (pH, temperature, oxygen levels, CO2) closely replicate the environment of the fallopian tube. There is no evidence that extended culture harms viable embryos.

A fresh backup sample or a previously frozen sample may be used. For severely low counts, TESA/PESA (surgical sperm retrieval) may be planned in parallel with egg retrieval.

Not all clinics have the laboratory capability for consistent Day 5 culture. Ask specifically about blastocyst rates and laboratory conditions when evaluating clinics.

It concentrates motile sperm, it does not repair DNA damage or morphological defects.

By masturbation into a sterile container, collected at the clinic (preferred) or at home within 30–60 minutes of processing. A period of 2–3 days abstinence before collection is recommended.

Low sperm count (oligospermia) means fewer than 15 million sperm per millilitre. It reduces natural conception chances but doesn't eliminate them. With IUI or ICSI, many men with low counts go on to father children. A semen analysis at Modi Pluro will tell you exactly where you stand.

A varicocele is a condition characterized by dilation of the scrotal veins, much like varicose veins. The condition can cause increased temperature in the testicles and impaired semen quality. If you are a candidate for surgery, then varicocelectomy will likely improve your semen characteristics.

Not necessarily. If the azoospermia is obstructive, sperm can often be retrieved via TESA for use in ICSI. Even in non-obstructive cases, a retrieval attempt is always recommended before moving to donor sperm. Dr. Modi will assess your specific situation before advising.

Not always. Blastocyst transfer has higher per-transfer success rates, but if a patient has very few embryos, culturing to Day 5 risks having no embryos survive to transfer. Your embryologist and Dr. Modi will decide together based on your specific cycle.

 No. Typically 40–60% of fertilised eggs reach blastocyst, depending on egg and sperm quality. Some cycles produce only 1–2 blastocysts from several fertilised eggs, this is normal and reflects natural selection.

BLASTOCYSTS are evaluated based on their expansion (1–6 scale) and the quality of two cell groups: the inner cell mass (ICM, which becomes the baby) and the trophectoderm (TE, which becomes the placenta)। Grades like 4AA or 3AB show ICM/TE quality and expansion.

There's no single universal number. A positive test after a Day 5 transfer is any level above ~10–15 mIU/mL. What matters most is that it doubles appropriately in 48 hours. Pluro team will interpret your results in the context of your full cycle.

A rise of less than 53% in 48 hours is considered "slow" and may indicate an ectopic pregnancy or a pregnancy that is unlikely to continue। Nonetheless, some slow-rising hCG pregnancies progress well. Dr. Modi will arrange close monitoring and an early scan if your hCG rise is sub-optimal.

A heartbeat is usually visible on transvaginal ultrasound from around 6–7 weeks of pregnancy (approximately 4 weeks after a Day 5 transfer). If hCG is rising well, your scan will be scheduled at the appropriate time.

Using the patient's own eggs, success rates typically range from 10–25% per cycle at age 40–42, declining further after 43. These are population averages; individual results depend on ovarian reserve and embryo quality. Dr. Modi will give you personalised projections based on your specific tests.

Yes. Donor egg IVF uses eggs from a younger woman (typically 21–30), which dramatically improves success rates, typically 50–65% per transfer. The pregnancy is carried by you. Many women over 40 choose donor egg IVF after one or two failed cycles with their own eggs.

At 42, time is a significant factor. Most fertility specialists recommend moving to IVF investigation and treatment without prolonged natural attempts. Each month of delay reduces both ovarian reserve and egg quality. Speak to Dr. Modi as early as possible for a personal evaluation.