Egg retrieval can be done in your doctor’s office or a clinic 34 to 36 hours after the final injection and before ovulation.
During egg retrieval, you’ll be sedated and given pain medication.
Transvaginal ultrasound aspiration is the usual retrieval method. An ultrasound probe is inserted into your vagina to identify follicles. Then a thin needle is inserted into an ultrasound guide to go through the vagina and into the follicles to retrieve the eggs.
If your ovaries aren’t accessible through transvaginal ultrasound, an abdominal surgery or laparoscopy — a procedure in which a tiny incision is made near your navel and a slender viewing instrument (laparoscope) is inserted — may be used to guide the needle.
The eggs are removed from the follicles through a needle connected to a suction device. Multiple eggs can be removed in about 20 minutes.
After egg retrieval, you may experience cramping and feelings of fullness or pressure.
Mature eggs are placed in a nutritive liquid (culture medium) and incubated. Eggs that appear healthy and mature will be mixed with sperm to attempt to create embryos. However, not all eggs may be successfully fertilized.