Red Light Therapy After Your Trigger Shot?

If you’ve been using red light therapy to support your fertility journey, you might be wondering what to do in those final hours after the trigger shot and before retrieval. Should you keep going with your PBM protocol or take a break?

This period is a crucial window that deserves a closer look. While red light therapy is generally considered safe and highly supportive in fertility care, the trigger-to-retrieval window is biologically unique. We are stepping into a highly coordinated cascade of hormonal and cellular activity where precision matters.

Let’s break down what is happening in your body after the trigger shot, how PBM works at the cellular level, and what current evidence and theory suggest about the ideal timing and caution during this time.

What Happens After the Trigger Shot

The trigger shot, usually human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) or a gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist like Lupron, is given to start the final maturation of the eggs. This mimics the natural luteinizing hormone (LH) surge and pushes the oocyte into completing meiosis I, beginning the process of chromosomal separation that allows the egg to be fertilized.

Within the ovarian follicle, the trigger initiates a complex cascade involving:

• A sharp rise in luteinizing hormone signaling

• A controlled increase in local inflammation

• Enhanced vascular permeability and edema within the follicle

• Prostaglandin and cytokine production

• Expansion of cumulus cells to help release the egg

• A shift in oxidative metabolism and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation

These steps occur within the 36-hour window between the trigger shot and egg retrieval, with oocyte detachment from the follicular wall occurring around the 36-hour mark. The follicular fluid becomes highly active with signaling molecules, and a precise inflammatory balance is required to support proper egg maturation and release.

Trigger shot before egg retrieval

How Red Light Therapy Works and Why It Matters Here

One of the most discussed theories of how PBMT works is the stimulation of cytochrome c oxidase in the mitochondria. (Yes there’s more than one theory of how it all works). This leads to increased ATP (energy) production, modulation of reactive oxygen species, and improved microcirculation. These effects are largely beneficial when applied in the follicular phase before the trigger or during the luteal phase to support the endometrium.

However, PBM’s ability to reduce inflammation and oxidative stress might, in theory, interfere with the carefully timed inflammatory signals that happen in the follicles after the trigger. This is not inflammation due to disease or damage. It is part of a natural, necessary physiological process.

Using a treatment that reduces inflammation or changes oxidative signaling at this stage might disrupt the maturation of the egg and the important changes in the follicle needed for successful egg retrieval. This is especially important because the egg is detaching from the follicular wall and preparing for removal from your body.

Not All Devices Are Equal: The Home Use Problem

One of the biggest challenges in applying PBM after the trigger shot is the diversity of devices women are using at home. Some are following protocols found in Facebook groups or on influencer posts. Others are using LED panels, heated red light beds, near-infrared pads, or handheld torches without knowing the actual wavelength, irradiance, or energy density being delivered.

Without knowing the dosimetry - the specific dose of light measured in joules per square centimeter, you are essentially guessing. And when the biological process you’re supporting is as sensitive as oocyte maturation, guessing might not be such a good idea.

Clinical laser protocols are built on decades of research using precise power outputs, treatment times, and application areas. The equipment is often Class 3B or 4 laser, with built-in safety parameters and tissue penetration designed for cellular effects in targeted organs. Home devices, especially those using LEDs, typically have a much wider variability in dose and depth, even when held against the skin.

This is not to say home-use devices have no value. They absolutely do, and can be helpful for supporting general wellness, uterine lining, or post-retrieval healing. But in the 36 hours after your trigger shot, where precision is essential, I would probably pause or delay use.

Timing Recommendations for PBM After a Trigger Shot

Because we currently have no clinical trials examining PBM specifically between the trigger shot and retrieval, all recommendations below are based on mechanistic science and clinical reasoning drawn from photobiology, reproductive endocrinology, and mitochondrial science.

0 to 12 hours post-trigger
The body is just beginning the final oocyte maturation process. PBM may still be helpful here if it is used gently but not over the ovaries. Use low-intensity PBM for nervous system regulation or lymphatic support, such as along the spine or sacrum. Avoid abdominal application.

12 to 24 hours post-trigger
This is the most critical window for inflammatory signaling, cumulus expansion, and oocyte detachment. Avoid PBM entirely during this time. The goal is to allow the natural inflammatory cascade to occur uninterrupted.

24 to 36 hours post-trigger
This is the final stretch before retrieval. Stress levels are often high. PBM can be used gently for vagus nerve stimulation or relaxation support, but again, avoid direct application over the ovaries or lower abdomen. Use this time to calm the nervous system rather than stimulate circulation near the ovaries.

What We Don’t Know Yet

There are no published randomized controlled trials evaluating the safety or efficacy of PBM use after the trigger shot and before retrieval. The recommendations provided here are based entirely on what we currently know about the mechanisms of action of PBM and the known biological processes of follicular maturation.

This makes it especially important to proceed cautiously. While PBM is considered non-invasive and low risk, using it during a highly inflammatory and hormonally sensitive phase could interfere with natural signaling in ways we do not fully understand.

Until we have clearer evidence, a prudent strategy is to pause targeted ovarian PBM in the 36-hour window after the trigger and resume after retrieval when inflammation is no longer playing such a critical role.

There’s no doubt PBM is a powerful tool in fertility care, but when it comes to the 36-hour window between the trigger shot and egg retrieval, less may be more. During this time, your body is working with precision to complete oocyte maturation. Introducing PBM during this short but sensitive period could theoretically disrupt key biological signals. It also could do just the opposite, but we don’t know yet.

For now, I’d suggest limiting PBM to gentle nervous system support and avoid applying red or near-infrared light over the ovaries. Focus on hydration, rest, and preparing emotionally for your retrieval (use the free 7 day trial of my fertility stress management app - FertileMind to support you). Once the eggs have been retrieved, red light therapy can be safely reintroduced to support healing, hormone signaling, and endometrial preparation for the next phase of your journey (thankfully we DO have some research in this area).

However…

While the general recommendation is to avoid red light therapy during the 12 to 24 hours after the trigger shot, it's worth considering whether certain women might benefit from a more tailored approach. For example, women with poor ovarian response, advanced maternal age, or high levels of oxidative stress may have low mitochondrial activity or compromised follicular environments. In these cases, low-level PBM applied outside of the abdominal region, such as to the sacrum or lymphatic drainage zones could theoretically support systemic cellular energy and reduce stress without disrupting the ovarian microenvironment. That said, the delicate balance between supporting mitochondrial function and preserving the necessary oxidative signals for oocyte maturation makes this a very gray area. Any decision to use PBM in this sensitive window should be made with careful attention to device type, dosing, application site, and your unique biological profile. Until we have population-specific clinical studies, this remains a mechanism-informed but unproven approach.

Tracy

If you’re in Central Texas - come see me in my Round Rock clinic for professional fertility laser services.

My recommended consumer devices for at home use including the Novaalab pad and Fringe wand for deep tissue internal use.