{"id":39498,"date":"2025-06-23T12:58:16","date_gmt":"2025-06-23T10:58:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/urecentrogutenberg.es\/the-egg-retrieval-process-step-by-step\/"},"modified":"2025-09-29T14:05:48","modified_gmt":"2025-09-29T12:05:48","slug":"the-egg-retrieval-process-step-by-step","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/urecentrogutenberg.es\/en\/the-egg-retrieval-process-step-by-step\/","title":{"rendered":"The egg retrieval process, step by step"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>There are going to be many important moments throughout the course of your in Vitro Fertilisation treatment. One of them is the egg retrieval, the procedure during which\u00a0<strong>your doctor will collect eggs from your ovaries\u00a0<\/strong>to be used in the IVF laboratory in order to make your dream of becoming a mother come true.<\/p>\n<p>But\u2026 what does the egg retrieval really involve? How long does it take? What procedure is performed? In this article we are going to try to explain to you\u00a0<strong>how the egg retrieval is carried out, step by step<\/strong>, so that you will feel relaxed and know what to expect during this stage of your\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/urecentrogutenberg.es\/en\/in-vitro-fertilisation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">in Vitro Fertilisation treatment<\/a>\u00a0when the time comes.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Tabla de contenidos<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #3f3f3f;color:#3f3f3f\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #3f3f3f;color:#3f3f3f\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/urecentrogutenberg.es\/en\/the-egg-retrieval-process-step-by-step\/#The_steps_leading_up_to_egg_retrieval\" >The steps leading up to egg retrieval<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/urecentrogutenberg.es\/en\/the-egg-retrieval-process-step-by-step\/#When_will_it_be_time_for_the_egg_retrieval\" >When will it be time for the egg retrieval?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_steps_leading_up_to_egg_retrieval\"><\/span>The steps leading up to egg retrieval<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>During each menstrual cycle a female normally produces\u00a0<strong>one single egg<\/strong>. This mature egg is a structure we call a follicle that increases in size due to hormone activity as ovulation approaches.<\/p>\n<p>We need more than one egg in order to work in the IVF laboratory.\u00a0The<strong>\u00a0ideal scenario is to have at least 8-10 eggs\u00a0<\/strong>to work with, though this number may vary and mainly depends on the age of the female.<\/p>\n<p>Therefore, we are going to help your ovaries work harder than usual leading up to the egg retrieval so that they produce more than just one single egg. This is done by giving you\u00a0<strong>medication in the form of hormones<\/strong>\u00a0for a period of time that can range from approximately seven to fourteen days (the average time is ten days).<\/p>\n<p>This is how\u00a0we are able to<strong>\u00a0stimulate your ovaries to produce more than one egg<\/strong>. By having a greater number of eggs to work with, you\u2019re more likely to achieve a good fertilisation rate, a greater number of developing embryos and higher odds for a successful embryo transfer. It\u2019s that easy.<\/p>\n<p>Throughout this stage of the ovarian stimulation your<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>assisted reproduction specialist\u00a0will monitor you very closely by periodically performing\u00a0<strong>ultrasound scans and blood tests to check hormone levels<\/strong>. You will most likely need to come to the clinic every two to three days so that we can monitor you.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"When_will_it_be_time_for_the_egg_retrieval\"><\/span>When will it be time for the egg retrieval?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Once your doctor has determined, after several ultrasound scans, that the size of your follicles is ideal and that your estradiol hormone level is optimal, the egg retrieval procedure will be arranged.\u00a0<strong>You will administer a hormone called hCG (Ovitrelle<\/strong>\u00ae<strong>)<\/strong>, which triggers final maturation of the eggs. Your egg retrieval will take place about 36 hours after your Ovitrelle\u00ae injection.<\/p>\n<p>The egg retrieval is an outpatient procedure, meaning that\u00a0<strong>it does not require hospital admission<\/strong>. It is performed in an operating theatre that has been specifically adapted for assisted reproduction and that is equipped with a transvaginal ultrasound, egg retrieval guides and an aspiration pump, in addition to routine operating theatre equipment. The operating theatre needs to be located near the IVF laboratory, as the embryologist\u2019s work in the laboratory will begin as soon as the eggs have been collected.<\/p>\n<p>In order to undergo the egg retrieval procedure\u00a0<strong>you must be fasting and it is advisable to avoid using perfume or makeup<\/strong>. Patients normally receive anaesthesia (deep sedation), so that they\u2019ll be sleeping and relaxed. In special cases it is possible to carry out the egg retrieval without anaesthesia (when there are only one or two follicles to be aspirated), but we always recommend considering your wellbeing and peace of mind first and foremost. It\u2019s a very special moment and it\u2019s important that you are relaxed.<\/p>\n<p>Once you\u2019ve fallen asleep your doctor will insert a sterile needle into your vagina, guided by an ultrasound, in order to aspirate your follicles. The needle will be placed into each follicle one by one in order to suction and collect the follicular fluid which will travel to a test tube through a catheter.\u00a0<strong>The follicular fluid that\u2019s collected contains the eggs<\/strong>. Right after this\u00a0the test tube will be taken to the in Vitro Fertilisation laboratory where the embryologist will observe, count and determine how many mature eggs have been collected.<\/p>\n<p>The egg retrieval procedure takes between fifteen to twenty minutes, and two to three hours later the patient will be ready to be discharged and to go home. There are some risks associated with the egg retrieval, as with any medical procedure, though they are very infrequent and the majority of patients do not develop any side effects; these risks are normally related to the medication used for sedation or to the procedure itself (needle inserted into each ovary to retrieval follicular fluid). In general, however,\u00a0<strong>patients can resume their normal daily activities\u00a0<\/strong><strong>with minimal restrictions\u00a0<\/strong>after the egg retrieval.<\/p>\n<p>Do you still have questions about the egg retrieval procedure? Are you looking for a specialist in assisted reproduction? Remember that\u00a0<strong>your first appointment with us\u00a0is completely free<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>You can request an appointment by calling us\u00a0<strong>0034<\/strong>\u00a0<strong>952 122 565<\/strong>, or\u00a0you can do it\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/urecentrogutenberg.es\/en\/contact\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">online here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There are going to be many important moments throughout the course of your in Vitro Fertilisation treatment. One of them is the egg retrieval, the procedure during which\u00a0your doctor will collect eggs from your ovaries\u00a0to be used in the IVF laboratory in order to make your dream of becoming a mother come true. But\u2026 what [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[499,500],"tags":[511,512,504,507,508,582,503,514,509,510,583,506,515],"class_list":["post-39498","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-assisted-reproduction-treatments-and-techniques","category-laboratory-stuff","tag-assisted-reproduction-clinic-in-algeciras","tag-assisted-reproduction-clinic-in-malaga","tag-assisted-reproduction-techniques","tag-fertility-clinic-in-algeciras","tag-fertility-clinic-in-malaga","tag-follicular-puncture","tag-in-vitro-fertilisation","tag-ivf","tag-ivf-clinic-in-algeciras","tag-ivf-clinic-in-malaga","tag-ovarian-puncture","tag-pregnancy","tag-reproductive-treatments"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/urecentrogutenberg.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39498","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/urecentrogutenberg.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/urecentrogutenberg.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/urecentrogutenberg.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/urecentrogutenberg.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39498"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/urecentrogutenberg.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39498\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":39499,"href":"https:\/\/urecentrogutenberg.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39498\/revisions\/39499"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/urecentrogutenberg.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39498"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/urecentrogutenberg.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39498"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/urecentrogutenberg.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39498"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}