The hormone that builds the lining where the embryo will settle.
What estradiol does for you
Before an embryo can settle in, your uterus needs to build a thick, healthy lining. The hormone that does this work is estradiol.
Your own ovaries usually make estradiol naturally. In a frozen embryo transfer cycle, the timing has to be exact, so your doctor gives estradiol as a tablet instead. This gives the cycle precise control.
The tablets are taken for about 10 to 14 days before transfer. The lining is checked by ultrasound to confirm it has grown thick enough.
Why the dose increases
Your doctor will usually start you on a lower dose and step it up over days. You may take 6, then 8, then 10 tablets in a day.
This is on purpose. The lining grows in stages. A slow ramp-up mimics what your body would do naturally and gives the lining time to build properly.
Take only the dose your doctor has written for that day. Do not adjust on your own.
What to expect
Normal: mild nausea, breast tenderness or fullness, mild headache, bloating, mood changes, light spotting.
Call your doctor: severe headache or vision changes, pain or swelling in one leg, chest pain or breathing difficulty, heavy bleeding, severe abdominal pain.
Storage: below 25 degrees C, away from light and moisture.