In short Egg retrieval concludes the process of hormonal stimulation carried out as part of the in vitro fertilization procedure. The procedure takes only several minutes and is performed under short-term general anesthesia. Afterwards, the patient rests for a while at the clinic under the attentive care of the medical staff.
When the doctor monitoring ovarian stimulation determines that the follicles have reached the appropriate size, they decide to end the stimulation.
The patient then receives an injection containing human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) or a GnRH agonist, which leads to the final maturation of the eggs. Approximately 36 hours after the injection, egg retrieval is performed. – Egg retrieval must take place at the right time, when the eggs have reached the appropriate level of maturity, but before the Graafian follicles rupture and release the oocytes, or egg cells. During egg retrieval, we collect fluid containing the eggs from these follicles – explains Olaf Lindert, MD, PhD, a fertility treatment specialist at Klinika Bocian in Katowice.
When it comes to preparing for the procedure, it is important that the patient fasts due to the anesthesia she will receive. This means that for 6–8 hours before egg retrieval, she should not eat or drink. This restriction also applies to chewing gum and smoking cigarettes. The patient should arrive at the clinic approximately 30 minutes before the scheduled procedure. She should bring a nightgown and slippers and remove any jewelry from her hands. It is also worth bringing a snack or a sandwich to eat after the procedure.
Contact our professionals
After arriving at the clinic, the patient is registered and directed to a room where she can change into a gown. She then goes to the procedure room, where the anesthesiologist conducts a medical interview with her. The egg retrieval procedure itself is performed on a gynecological chair, takes several minutes, and before it begins, the patient is prepared for anesthesia, followed by the subsequent stages of the procedure.
Once the patient feels well, she has a consultation during which the doctor informs her about the number of oocytes retrieved, and the final number of eggs to be fertilized is also determined. The use of medications before the next stage of in vitro fertilization, namely the transfer of embryos into the uterus, is also discussed. The patient should remember that she must not drive after egg retrieval, and it is also recommended that someone accompany her on the way home.
During egg retrieval, several to a dozen eggs are usually retrieved. – The body responds differently to the medications administered for stimulation. Therefore, sometimes we obtain several eggs, other times a dozen or even more. However, it should be remembered that not only the number is important, but also the quality of these eggs. Not all of them are sufficiently mature and properly developed to be used for fertilization – emphasizes Olaf Lindert, MD, PhD, from Klinika Bocian in Katowice.
The retrieved follicular fluid is immediately transferred to the laboratory, where an embryologist carefully assesses the quality and maturity of the retrieved eggs, meaning their stage of development. The best ones are selected for in vitro fertilization. If not all eggs are used during the in vitro fertilization procedure, they can also be frozen and preserved for the future.
On the same day that the patient undergoes egg retrieval, her partner is asked to provide a semen sample so that the sperm can be prepared for in vitro fertilization. It is also possible to deposit the partner’s semen at the clinic in advance. In this case, the sperm are cryopreserved and thawed when fertilization can be performed.
Because egg retrieval is performed under general anesthesia, the patient does not experience pain during the procedure. After egg retrieval, however, certain symptoms may occur for some time. The most common include:
If the pain or bleeding becomes significantly more severe, the patient should contact her doctor or Klinika Bocian.
