Does it hurt to retrieve eggs for IVF? What should I pay attention to after retrieval of eggs for IVF?

Compared to the pain of not being able to get pregnant naturally, the pain of egg retrieval for IVF can be completely ignored. So, how are eggs retrieved during IVF? What should you pay attention to after egg retrieval for IVF? Let's take a look.

Does it hurt to retrieve eggs for IVF?

There will be a little pain when retrieving eggs for in vitro fertilization, which is similar to the pain during menstruation, but it is tolerable.

When doing egg retrieval for in vitro fertilization, the doctor will put a rubber cover on the B-ultrasound probe, fix a long puncture needle on the probe, and connect the tail of the needle to a negative pressure suction hose. The probe will enter the female vagina. The honeycomb-shaped ovaries can be seen on the B-ultrasound display screen immediately. The doctor will operate the needle on the probe according to the display screen, and suck out each black honeycomb in turn to suck out all the fluid in the follicle. The fluid will flow into each test tube along the puncture needle tube.

Many women feel that it will be painful to retrieve eggs for IVF when they think of a long puncture needle going in and out of their body. The center usually uses intravenous painless anesthesia while the patient is sleeping. After the egg retrieval, there will be a slight pain in the lower abdomen, which is similar to the feeling of menstruation, and most women can tolerate it.

How to retrieve eggs

Egg retrieval is done within 35 to 36 hours of human chorionic gonadotropin injection. If it is too early or too late, it will affect the quantity and quality of the eggs retrieved. Also, if it is too early, the eggs cannot be fully mature, and there are many immature eggs. If it is too late, some large follicles may form, so the eggs cannot be retrieved.

Egg retrieval is a very minor operation that can be performed under general or local anesthesia. After the egg retrieval needle is inserted through the vagina and reaches the ovary to retrieve the eggs, the egg retrieval staff will immediately transfer the retrieved eggs to a culture dish containing embryo culture medium under a microscope and place them in an incubator at 37 degrees Celsius for culture. Because intravaginal ultrasound aspiration is a minor operation, some egg retrieval staff will use some painkillers instead of general anesthesia to save time.

Normally, the egg retrieval process takes less than 30 minutes. Women will feel slight pain and a small amount of bleeding after the egg retrieval. They can go home after lying in the hospital for one to two hours. This minor operation will not affect their normal life.

Things to note before egg retrieval

1. Please make sure to leave your valid phone number and address so that we can contact you in time if there are any changes.

2. Get your vagina cleaned at the reproductive center on the day of the night injection.

3. Please follow the injection schedule and dosage as directed by the doctor. If you have any questions, please ask until you understand.

4. For patients who need to be injected outside the hospital and need to wait for the injection time, we will call you to confirm the injection time before 17:00 that afternoon. Please keep your phone open and inject on time according to the notification time. If you do not receive a phone call from our staff before 17:30 that afternoon, please contact us (0755-82056819).

5. If you return to our center for injection, please go to the treatment room on the third floor as instructed.

6. For patients who bring the night injection back from outside the hospital, please go to the community health center or clinic near your home as soon as possible to confirm the evening injection. If you cannot find a place for the injection, please call us (0755-82056819) in time to let us know so that we can make arrangements.

7. On the day of egg retrieval, please do not eat anything (including drinking water) in the morning. Those who do not need general anesthesia, injection anesthesia or anal suppositories can eat breakfast. Both husband and wife must arrive at the waiting room on the second floor of the center on time at 7:30 on the day of egg retrieval. The couple must bring both parties' ID cards, marriage certificates, family planning and fertility service certificates or birth permits. The woman must empty her bladder (urinate) before entering the operating room.

8. Please be sure to pay the deposit of 15,000 yuan before the egg retrieval date so as not to delay the surgery arrangements on the egg retrieval day.

9. On the day of egg retrieval, patients who need blood drawn should go to the blood drawing room according to the time instructed by the doctor, and then go to the waiting room on the second floor to wait. Patients who do not need blood drawn should go directly to the waiting room on the second floor to wait.

10. The man does not need to fast. If the man needs to undergo sperm extraction surgery, please arrange for another family member to accompany him.

11. If the male has difficulty in sperm collection, please inform the doctor or nurse in advance.

12. If the male has frozen his sperm in advance, please be sure to bring the sperm freezing agreement on the day of egg retrieval for verification.

13. After the night injection and until egg retrieval, the woman needs to take a bath every day to avoid infection during the operation, but avoid using shower gel, shampoo, perfume, soap, cosmetics and other items containing fragrances.

14. Avoid strenuous exercise before egg retrieval to prevent ovarian torsion and get adequate rest.

15. Egg retrieval is performed by guided puncture under the guidance of B-ultrasound. A painkiller injection is given before the operation. The whole process takes about 20 minutes to complete.

What should I pay attention to after egg retrieval for IVF?

1. On the day of egg retrieval, if you experience low blood pressure, rapid heartbeat, pale complexion, abnormal bleeding, difficulty urinating, or high fever, please return to the emergency department of the National Taiwan University Hospital and go to the obstetrics and gynecology department for emergency treatment.

2. Be sure to rest on the day the egg retrieval surgery is completed.

3. On the day of egg retrieval, progesterone and HCG have been injected in the recovery room. Please contact your egg retrieval doctor whether you need to be injected with progesterone and HCG in the future.

4. If the wound hurts, take the medicine according to the instructions on the medicine bag.

5. Please keep the wound clean. There is no need to remove the stitches. You can also take a shower.

6. If the egg is retrieved vaginally, there will be a little brown bleeding on the day and the next day. This is normal and the pain will disappear in 2-3 days. 7. Avoid strenuous exercise after egg retrieval to prevent ovarian torsion and take proper rest. 8. Avoid eating raw, cold, spicy food and Chinese medicine after surgery. Nutrition should be strengthened and food rich in protein and various vitamins should be consumed. Such as soy milk, milk, eggs, shrimp, etc.