The full sequence
Suppression and stimulation
Medications suppress your natural cycle, then stimulate the ovaries to develop multiple eggs over roughly 8–14 days, with monitoring via ultrasound and bloodwork every 2–3 days.
Trigger and retrieval
A trigger injection finalizes egg maturation; retrieval follows 34–36 hours later, a 15–20 minute procedure under sedation.
Fertilization
Via conventional insemination or ICSI, depending on your specific situation.
Embryo culture
Fertilized eggs develop over 5–7 days to the blastocyst stage, with PGT performed at this stage if pursued.
Transfer or freeze
A selected embryo is transferred (fresh or in a later frozen cycle) into the uterus.
Why understanding this sequence helps
Knowing what happens and roughly when helps you plan around monitoring appointments and understand what each step is accomplishing, rather than experiencing the process as an opaque sequence of appointments.
See colombianivf.com for how this sequence works specifically for international patients traveling for treatment.
The Takeaway
Each stage in this sequence serves a specific purpose — understanding the "why" behind each step makes the process feel less opaque.