Experience sharing: The 30 days I spent in an IVF hospital in the United States

When writing this, it has been two weeks since I left Los Angeles and returned to my home country. Looking back on the entire 30 day journey to the United States for medical treatment, my emotions remain strong: from the immigration officer's words "Good luck on your journey" upon entry, to seeing the shallow double lines on the pregnancy test paper in the apartment bathroom on the 10th day after transplantation, I have experienced multiple tests of physical, psychological, time, and money. It is also the first time that I have felt so closely how "technology" and "hope" are embodied as laboratories, incubators, and hair like tubes. Below, according to the timeline, I will try my best to reproduce what I have seen, heard, and felt as much as possible, for reference by prospective parents who are doing homework. It should be emphasized that different people's physical conditions vary greatly, and this article is only a personal record and does not constitute medical advice.

Pre departure homework: selecting a hospital, devising a plan, and applying for a visa

Day 1-3 Arrival and Filing

The plane landed at LAX in the afternoon, and the queue for customs clearance lasted about 50 minutes. When I entered the country, I only said 'medical treatment for fertility', and the officials gave me a three-month stay. I only slept for 4 hours that night due to the time difference, and arrived on time at 8:30 the next day21545 Hawthorne Blvd Pavilion BReport for duty. The front desk has extremely high efficiency, completing insurance verification, passport copying, and fingerprint entry in 10 minutes. Subsequently, blood was drawn to check the baseline (E2, FSH, LH, PRL), and the results were synchronized to the APP at 2 pm in the afternoon. After meeting with Dr. Lin, he confirmed the long-term plan again and asked me to submit the medication brought from China for the nurse to verify the dosage, in order to avoid repeated medication.

Day 4-10 Promotion Stage

Inject 225 IU of Gonal-f and 150 IU of Menopur at 8:00 am daily, and add antagonist at 8:00 pm. The hospital provides a disposable needle recycling box, which can be used and covered before being taken back to the clinic for unified disposal, which is both safe and environmentally friendly. On the 6th day of B-ultrasound, there were 6 on the left and 7 on the right, with a maximum follicle size of 12 mm and an E2 level of 758 pg/ml. The nurse said, "The speed is good. Add 300 IU of Gonal-f on the 8th day to prevent uneven follicles. During this period, I strictly followed the diet given by the nutritionist: breakfast of 4 egg whites+oats+avocados, lunch of salmon+quinoa, dinner of chicken breast+broccoli, 2L of water and 1 cup of low caffeine coffee every day. The doctor said that "moderate caffeine has no effect", which helped me relax a lot.

Day 11 trigger and egg retrieval

Inject Lupron dual trigger at 21:15 in the evening, and retrieve eggs 36 hours later. The surgical center is located on the basement level, and the anesthesiologist comes to inquire about weight and allergy history before surgery, and signs informed consent. I chose intravenous general anesthesia and woke up in the recovery room, with the time displayed as the past 18 minutes. The nurse handed me a color photo: 9 round follicles. At that moment, tears almost fell - it was both excitement and relief. Drink apple juice and eat Saltine biscuits one hour after surgery, and release after observing normal blood pressure. In the afternoon of the same day, the laboratory gave a maturity rate of 9 out of 7. I sent a WeChat message to my domestic friend: "The 7 little moons have been launched, waiting for them to transform

Day 12-16 Fertilization and Cultivation

The embryo room updates its report daily at 10am. Day 1: All 7 embryos were fertilized (conventional IVF, without ICSI). Day 3: 6 cells reach 6-8 cells, 1 cell falls out with 4 cells. Day 5: Form 4 blastocysts. Day 6: Add 1 more, for a total of 5. At this point, the doctor suggested conducting chromosome screening. As I am 34 years old and both parties have normal chromosomes, I have decided to transplant one of the best grades first, and continue freezing the remaining four. When signing the freezing agreement, the financial advisor clearly stated the subsequent annual fees: the first year is free, and each subsequent fee is USD 650 per year. The renewal can be stopped at any time and the option of destruction, scientific research, or transportation can be chosen.

Day 17 Hysteroscopy Review

Although he underwent hysteroscopy in China six months ago, Dr. Lin insists on "seeing is believing". Upon re examination, it was found that there was slight adhesion in the right corner of the uterus, which was immediately removed. The surgery lasted for 5 minutes and no anesthesia was applied, only soreness and swelling. After the surgery, the nurse gave me a warm water bag and said, 'Lie down more today and be able to move around normally tomorrow.'. I am glad that I did not slack off or evade, as this step cleared the obstacles for implantation later on.

Day 18-20 Medication Conversion

From high estrogen levels during the stimulation period to 'fake menstruation' before transplantation, the body feels like riding a roller coaster. The nurse said it was normal to experience withdrawal bleeding the next day after stopping the medication. Start using estrogen patches: change one patch every 3 days, for a total of 4 patches; Simultaneously take Estrace 2 mg Bid orally. For progesterone, vaginal gel is chosen, 90 mg per day, because "the blood concentration is stable, and buttocks needling is less". However, there are many gel residues, and the pads need to be changed frequently. I also put towels on at night to avoid polluting the apartment sheets.

Day 21 transplant

The transplant is arranged in an independent operating room with soft lighting and Enya background music, creating an atmosphere similar to that of a delivery room. My bladder needs to be filled to the point where it can be seen clearly but not excessively swollen. The nurse asked me to drink 500 ml of water one hour in advance. The embryo is enlarged to the screen, like a 'breathing diamond'. Dr. Lin's operation is extremely fast, with the catheter entering and releasing in just 30 seconds, and a small flash of light visible on the ultrasound screen. After the surgery was over, I lay down for 15 minutes before going to the bathroom. The nurse smiled and said, 'There's no need to lie down for long, scientific evidence shows it won't fall out.'. On the afternoon of that day, I returned to the apartment and truly started the 'psychological tug of war'.

Day 22-30 Waiting and Pregnancy Test

These 9 days have been referred to as' Torture Week 'by those who have experienced it. I have made a schedule for myself:

• Wake up at 08:00 to take temperature and take photos for recording
• 08:30 Breakfast: Milk+Whole Wheat Bread+Eggs
• 09:00 Balcony sunbathing for 20 minutes (promotes vitamin D)
• 10: Remote processing of domestic work, distracting attention
• 12: Take a 15 minute walk after lunch, less than 1 kilometer away
• 14: 00 nap for 30 minutes
• 15: 00 reading/watching dramas, prohibited from searching for symptoms
• 18: After dinner, take a walk as usual
• 21:30 vaginal gel+oral progesterone
• 22:30 Meditation for 10 minutes, sleep

The most difficult part during this period was fighting against the "fantasy symptoms": breast swelling, excessive flatulence, and lower abdominal pain... I simply uninstalled all search engines. At 4:30 am on the 9th day, I couldn't help but take Keli Blue, and after a minute, a faint to almost transparent "+" appeared. I was stunned for 3 minutes, then shook my husband awake. He said with sleepy eyes, 'We'll test tomorrow,' while I held the test paper and studied it under the light for half a day. On the morning of that day, the hospital drew blood: HCG 78 mIU/ml, progesterone 32 ng/ml, officially confirmed as "early pregnancy". Dr. Lin instructed to continue luteal support and scheduled a B-ultrasound examination for fetal heart rate in two weeks.

cost inventory

Psychological construction: What's harder than getting an injection is' letting go of oneself '

Before going to the United States, I believed that I was well prepared. Only when I truly embarked on this path did I realize that the hardest part was not getting injections every day, but learning to reconcile with uncertainty. During a follow-up visit, Dr. Lin said, "We can control the process, but we have to respect the biology." I wrote this sentence in my phone memo and would recite it three times every time I had wild thoughts. Another secret is "information dieting": only allow yourself to check the hospital app twice a day, with morning reports and afternoon medication reminders, and block group chats during other times to minimize anxiety levels.

Language and Culture: Even with poor English, you can have peace of mind throughout the entire process

IFC has a full-time Chinese coordinator who provides bilingual instruction for everything from medication teaching to billing explanations. Once the pharmacy leaked injection needles, I took a photo on WeChat and the coordinator took care of it within 10 minutes. They asked me to go directly to the front desk the next day to collect them. American nurses are accustomed to "compliment style" communication, saying "You did great!" every time they draw blood. At first, they felt polite, but later they were truly comforted by this positive suggestion. The only thing to note is tips: 10% -15% is sufficient for cleaning the apartment, taking a taxi, and taking out food every week. Exchange change in advance to avoid awkward checkout.

Transportation and daily life: You can live without a car, but having a car is more fragrant

I started renting the car from the 4th day, with an average daily cost of USD 35, and the cost of insurance and fuel is about USD 60. Torrance Chinese Supermarket 99 Ranch and H Mart are not far away, and parking is free. Whole Foods next to the hospital can buy organic food, but the price is relatively high. If you don't want to drive, you can take Uber, which costs 8-11 USD one-way from the apartment to the hospital. Public transportation is not recommended as it has few trips and requires transfers. Reminder: California traffic regulations are strict. You must stop when turning right and wait for three seconds when encountering a STOP sign. Otherwise, you will be fined USD 238 starting from.

Recommended by peer organizations

Only list the 5-10 companies that have received better feedback from my on-site visits or fellow patients during the same period, in no particular order of ranking:

1. IFC IVF Center (INCINTA) in the United States— Torrance, CA
2. American RFC Reproductive Center (RFC)— Corona, CA
3. HRC Fertility — Newport Beach, CA
4. SCRC（Southern California Reproductive Center）— Beverly Hills, CA
5. RSMC – Reproductive Sciences Medical Center — San Diego, CA
6. La Jolla IVF — La Jolla, CA
7. Fertility Centers of Illinois — Chicago, IL
8. Shady Grove Fertility – Rockville, MD
9. CCRM（Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine）— Lone Tree, CO
10. Boston IVF – Waltham, MA

After returning to China

After the successful transplantation, the hospital provided two pages of "Travel Permission": HCG>100 can take the flight. On my 12th day back, the flight attendant saw me apply progesterone patches to my lower abdomen and kindly provided a blanket. When entering the country, use manual channels and present a hospital certificate to avoid X-ray security checks. When establishing obstetrics records in China, doctors directly recognize the American blood values and only supplement with tests for thyroid function and coagulation, while drawing fewer tubes of blood. Now that the fetal heart rate is visible and the corpus luteum support is gradually decreasing, the four frozen embryos in the app are like "small spare tires", giving me the confidence to try again and facing the future more calmly.

In conclusion

30 days, whether long or short. It made me understand that no matter how advanced technology is, it still requires the body to withstand it; No matter how expensive the cost is, it cannot be bought with 100% certainty. What we can do is to maximize the controllable parts under the premise of information transparency and standardized processes, and then accept the randomness of life with equanimity. May every one of you who steps down this path be treated gently and bring good news home.

Note: All medical procedures and expenses in this article only reflect the individual's current situation. If there are any updates, please refer to the official information of the hospital.

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