Follicle/ Eggs are removed from the ovaries approximately 36 hours after taking the hCG injection. If the patient regularly take any medications (allergy medication for example) they should talk with their doctor or nurse about taking the medication on the day of the egg retrieval.
The patient will be asked to not eat or drink as of midnight before the egg retrieval. During the egg retrieval procedure, they will receive a mild sedative through an IV, a small tube in a vein in the arm. This is a form of light general anesthesia where they will breathe on their own but will not feel the procedure nor remember it afterwards.
After they are sedated, the vagina is washed with a sterile water solution. A needle is placed under ultrasound guidance into the ovary and fluid, and eggs from the follicles in the ovaries are collected into a test tube and sent to the IVF lab. The whole procedure takes about 30 minutes, and discomfort is generally minimal.
The male will collect a sperm sample by masturbation the day of the egg retrieval (occasionally a second sample is needed as well). He should abstain from ejaculation between 1 and 3 days before giving the sample. Alternatively, if frozen sperm is being used, we will thaw the sperm vial(s) once we know we have eggs.