How Are The Eggs Retrieved?

Disclaimer: Blog post is written based on personal experience. It is for your reference only. The process and clinical procedure may vary from clinic to clinic. Please consult your fertility doctor for more detailed information.

The egg retrieval procedure is considered in the medical field to be low-risk. It is described as a minimally invasive surgery. The actual retrieval process only takes about 20 minutes, but you will be asleep for around an hour under general anesthesia, so you won't feel anything.

The eggs are retrieved by a needle that goes directly through the vaginal wall and aspirates the eggs from the follicles on your ovaries. They don't actually go through your uterus or fallopian tubes, so that's why women with their with tubes tied can still be donors. If you need something to compare it to, they won't go any deeper than they would in a normal pap smear. There are no nerves inside so when you wake up, you will not feel any pain, just a dull soreness like you did a muscle workout in your abs. Therefore, in the rare instance if you do feel any kind of pain, you should inform the nurse when you wake up.

Since there are no stitches needed because the only part that needs to heal are the puncture holes from the needle, your body will essentially heal on its own. You will only wear a menstrual pad for about a day from the spotting you'll have from those puncture holes inside. It's like a day or two of having a light period.

You'll be able to walk out from the clinic, but it is recommended you go straight home to lay in bed the rest of the day. If you can afford to, stay in bed the next day too because you'll probably still feel sore. I experienced a lot of abdominal cramps. Extra strength tylenol usually does the trick, plus a pillow under the knees (to stay in a more fetal-like position), and I really like a heating pad to soothe any aching soreness. You can still get up and walk around, and some people may just go back to work the next day as long as it's a sitting office job. By the third day, you'll feel pretty well back to normal, but for a week, you'll still want to take it easy just to be safe. I felt comfortable enough to resume exercising a week after the retrieval. One last side effect I experienced was constipation lasting for days or up to a week after my donations and some bloating. If you haven't already read about my other issue with my first donation, see my two posts about OHSS.

So, the retrieval itself is really not anything major, it's actually quite simple. I understand that for most donors, because they are so healthy, they had never had any reason to require a surgery before, and it will be a brand new experience for them. It was for me. But, I hope you'll experience the same thought I had when I woke up from my first retrieval, "What was I so worried about? This feels fine."