Egg Retrieval
Oocyte retrieval, i.e., removal of the eggs from your ovaries, takes place about 36 hours after the injection of HCG just before ovulation would occur in response to the hCG trigger injection. A transvaginal ultrasound probe is used to visualize the ovarian follicles and a long needle, which can be seen on ultrasound, is inserted into each follicle to aspirate as many eggs as possible. It s usually performed with intravenous sedation because aspiration causes moderate discomfort. It is possible that the aspiration will fail to obtain any eggs or the eggs may be abnormal or of poor quality and otherwise fail to produce a viable pregnancy. Following this procedure you may have a small amount of vaginal spotting.
The risks of egg retrieval include:
Infection: Bacteria normally present in the vagina may be inadvertently transferred into the abdominal cavity by the needle. These bacteria may cause an infection of the uterus, fallopian tubes, ovaries or other intra-abdominal organs. The estimated incidence of infection after egg retrieval is less than 0.5%. Treatment of infections could require the use of oral or intravenous antibiotics. Severe infections occasionally require surgery to remove infected tissue. Infections can have a negative impact on future fertility. Prophylactic antibiotics are used to reduce the risk of pelvic infection but there is no way to eliminate this risk completely.
Bleeding: The needle passes through the vaginal wall and into the ovary to obtain the eggs. Both of these structures contain blood vessels. In addition, there are other blood vessels nearby. Small amounts of blood loss are common during egg retrievals. The incidence of major bleeding problems has been estimated to be less than 0.1%. Major bleeding would require transfusion or surgical repair and could result in loss of the ovary. Although very rare, review of the world experience with IVF indicates that unrecognized internal bleeding has lead to death.
Trauma: Despite the use of ultrasound guidance, it is possible to damage other intra-abdominal organs such as the bowel, appendix, bladder, ureters, and ovary. Damage to internal organs may result in the need for additional treatment such as surgery for repair or removal of the damaged organ.
Anesthesia: The use of anesthesia during the egg retrieval can produce unintended complications such as an allergic reaction, low blood pressure, nausea or vomiting and in rare cases death.