Services - IVF

In Vitro Fertilization - EGG RETRIEVAL (EGG PICK UP)

What is egg retrieval?

Egg retrieval is the process by which the eggs are collected from the ovaries.

How is this done?

The eggs develop in fluid filled structures in the ovaries called follicles. Each follicle can be seen and measured by a scan and contains one microscopic egg. The mature egg is loosely attached to the follicle wall.

Follicles seen on scan (inset) Egg pick up using vaginal scan

When the woman's follicles are mature (determined by ultrasound and hormone measurements), the egg aspiration procedure is performed to remove the eggs from the ovaries.

The procedure is done with you asleep with medicines injected into your veins. A needle is passed through the top of the vagina under ultrasound guidance to get to the ovary and follicles. The fluid in the follicles is aspirated through the needle and the eggs detach from the follicle wall and are sucked out of the ovary. The actual IVF egg aspiration procedure usually takes 10-15 minutes at our IVF clinic. You will wake up soon after the procedure and have little or no pain.

The fluid with the eggs is passed to the IVF lab where the eggs are identified, rinsed in culture media, and placed in small culture drops in plastic dishes. The dishes with the eggs are then kept in specialized IVF incubators.