If you are going through IVF or freezing your eggs, the egg retrieval (Ovum Pickup) is the milestone you are working toward. It is also the part of the process that causes the most anxiety. Hearing the word “surgery” is intimidating, and it is entirely normal to feel nervous about being put to sleep.
We want to completely demystify this step. The egg retrieval is not a major abdominal surgery. There are no incisions, no stitches, and no overnight hospital stays. It is a highly precise, 15-minute procedure designed to be as safe and painless as possible.
How Do We Know It Is Time? (The Trigger Shot)
The retrieval is the culmination of your 10 to 12 days of hormone injections. Dr. Lakshmi Priya has been tracking your growing follicles (the fluid-filled sacs that hold your eggs) using transvaginal ultrasounds.
Once a good number of those follicles reach the perfect size—usually around 18 to 20 millimeters—we tell you to stop your daily stimulation medications. We will then give you a very specific time to take your “trigger shot.” This final injection signals your ovaries to detach the mature eggs from the follicle walls.
Timing is everything. We schedule your egg retrieval for exactly 36 hours after you take that trigger shot, catching the eggs just before your body would naturally release them.
The Procedure: What Happens While You Sleep?
You will arrive at our clinic about an hour before your scheduled procedure. Once you are prepped and in the operating room, here is exactly what happens:
- You Go to Sleep: Our anesthesiologist will administer a light, intravenous (IV) sedation. You will be completely asleep, breathing on your own, and you will feel absolutely no pain.
- The Ultrasound Guidance: Dr. Priya uses the exact same transvaginal ultrasound probe that you are used to from your monitoring appointments. She uses the screen to clearly see your ovaries and the mature follicles.
- The Retrieval: A very thin, hollow needle is attached to the ultrasound probe. Dr. Priya gently guides this needle through the vaginal wall directly into the ovary. She carefully drains the fluid from each follicle. That fluid contains the microscopic eggs.
- The Handoff: As the fluid is drawn out, it is immediately passed through a window into our embryology lab next door, where the embryologists immediately start separating and counting your eggs.
The entire process takes roughly 15 to 20 minutes.
Waking Up and the Recovery Process
You will wake up in our recovery room shortly after the procedure is finished. You will likely feel groggy from the anesthesia and experience some mild to moderate pelvic cramping, very similar to a heavy period. We will provide pain medication to keep you comfortable.
How many eggs did we get?
You do not have to wait days for this answer. Before you even leave the clinic, Dr. Priya will come to your bedside and tell you exactly how many eggs were successfully retrieved.
Going Home:
Because you received anesthesia, you must have someone drive you home. Plan to spend the rest of the day resting on the couch with a heating pad and staying hydrated. Most women feel perfectly fine to return to work and their normal daily activities the very next day, though you should avoid heavy lifting or intense exercise until Dr. Priya clears you.
The Next Steps for Your Eggs
While you are resting at home, your eggs are safely in our lab. If you are freezing them for the future, they will be flash-frozen (vitrified) that afternoon. If you are doing IVF, they will be introduced to your partner’s sperm to begin the fertilization process, and we will call you the next morning with your first progress report.
Book your appointment online and upload your previous ultrasound or AMH reports to discuss your fertility timeline.
