What is Day 1?
Day 1 of your period is the first day of your menstrual cycle: your hormones reset to baseline, and the lining of the uterus sheds to allow for a new lining to grow, which is what enables embryo implantation.
From an IVF point of view, we consider day 1 to be the day you have your full period flow. Periods can be unpredictable and different for many people: some may spot for a few days prior to their period beginning, others may have unpredictable periods, and unfortunately, some may not have a day 1 at all. However, day 1 is an important part of your fertility journey as it is the moment around which much of your treatment is based.
If your period happens after 3pm we consider the next day your cycle day 1.
Why is day 1 important?
When you have your day 1, we begin to track your cycle depending on the treatment your fertility specialist has planned for you. If you are undertaking a natural cycle, we can arrange your scans and blood tests to track ovulation around day 12. If you are doing a medicated cycle, you will typically start medications on day 2 or 3, so it is important to notify our nursing team to arrange this as soon as your day 1 occurs. In situations where your day 1 happens on the weekend, you can email the nurses to let them know, and call first thing Monday when the clinic opens again.
Day 1 is also an administrative day — you speak to your nurses to arrange a treatment and medications schedule, make sure your consents are valid and blood tests are within date, and help you get set up for the cycle. You will also speak to the concierge team to arrange payment for your cycle.
What happens if I don’t have a day 1?
If you do not get regular periods due to a medical condition, such as PCOS or other ovulatory conditions, or if you have a Mirena or other IUD that prevents you from having periods, your fertility team will likely arrange a scan and blood test to determine if your hormones and uterus are at baseline.
It is also not uncommon for your period to delay by a couple of days when you are finally ready to start a cycle. I have had many women tell me “I ALWAYS have 28-day cycles, my period will come next Wednesday,” only for it to not come until Saturday for the first time! Pre-IVF jitters, maybe? Thankfully, we can always respond to the situation positively regardless of when day 1 occurs.
Sometimes it may be that you have conceived spontaneously. You can always call your team to arrange a blood test to confirm if it is a pregnancy, or just a sneaky delayed period. We will check where you are in your cycle by what your hormones are doing. The hormones we check at the start of a cycle are usually Oestradiol (E2), Luteinising Hormone (LH), progesterone (P4), Beta HCG (QbHCG), and sometimes follicle stimulating hormone (FSH). Your doctor will prepare a slip for you to attend, which your nurses can arrange for you.
Contact us
If you have any questions, please call our nursing team 03 9873 6789. You can also contact us by email at nurses@createfertility.com.au or via your doctors’ rooms.
