Egg Retrieval Procedure Patient Instructions

1. The procedure:
   • What to expect:
     1. The procedure lasts approximately 10 minutes and is associated with minimal discomfort.
     2. Your spouse/partner cannot accompany you into the room but is encouraged to stay with you in the recovery room following the procedure.
     3. You will be asked to empty your bladder before you go into the procedure room.
     4. You will walk into the procedure and be placed in the stirrups and covered.
     5. A laboratory technician will come in to check your identity. They will check your ID bracelet and ask you to say your name out loud. This is done in order to ensure beyond any doubt that you will receive your own embryos.
     6. The anesthetist will hook you up to the heart monitor and start an intravenous line. They will then start administering the anesthesia drugs, which take effect immediately.
     7. Note: the physician will not begin the procedure until you are asleep.
     8. The physician will then place a speculum in your vagina and use a soapy solution to wipe off your cervix.
     9. The egg retrieval procedure:
        1. A vaginal ultrasound is used to guide a needle through the vaginal wall into the follicles.
        2. All the follicles are drained and the fluid taken to the laboratory.
        3. Under the microscope the embryologist will identify the eggs. At the end of the procedure, in the recovery room, you will receive the final egg count.
        4. You will then be moved on to the stretcher and wheeled to the recovery room.
2. The recovery room:
   • You will spend one hour in the recovery room waking up and relaxing.
   • You will be connected to the heart monitor for a while.
   • Before you leave you will be assessed by the anesthetist and given a snack and some fluids.
   • Your instructions will be reviewed with you before you leave.
3. At Home:
   • We recommend that you spend the rest of the day resting. Make sure that you are not alone.
   • By the next day if you are feeling well you may resume normal activities.
   • Stay well hydrated.
   • Call the office for any problems
     1. Fever over 100.4
     2. Pain that does not respond to Tylenol
     3. Abdominal swelling
     4. Weight gain over 5 lbs overnight
     5. Decrease in urine output.