The Science of Making Babies

Egg retrieval
Different centers do things different ways, but in most centers, you’re taken to the IVF suite, a part of the building you’ve never seen before and had no idea existed. You’ll change into a gown, hat, and shoe covers because the IVF suite is a sterile area where an attempt is made to keep outside germs from entering.

An intravenous (IV) infusion is started. The purpose of the IV is mainly to have access for giving you medication, but it’s also there in case any complications require you to be given large amounts of fluid quickly. If you know that certain of your veins are better than others for the IV, don’t be shy about informing the person starting your IV! The embryologist usually comes in to see you before the procedure starts to ask you to verify your name, Social Security number, and information about your partner. The purpose of checking this information is to prevent any type of mix-up with eggs, sperm, or embryos.
The doctor generally comes in the room at the last minute, introduces herself, one hopes, if you don’t already know her, and instructs the person giving you medications to start giving them. The doctor inserts a speculum and washes the vagina and cervix thoroughly, trying to keep the area as clean as
possible.

You won’t remember the rest, so we explain what happens next. The doctor inserts the vaginal ultrasound probe into your vagina. On the top of the probe is a needle guide, a plastic attachment which has a hollow narrow tube-like guide along which a long metal needle slides. The doctor locates your follicles on ultrasound with the probe and then punctures the back of the vagina with the needle, entering each follicle and sucking out the fluid.
The follicular fluid is given to the embryologist, who examines it under a microscope and says, it is hoped, “Egg one, egg two,” and so on. When the follicles are all emptied, you’ll wake up and be taken to a nearby bed for a short time to recover. An egg retrieval usually takes about 30 to 40 minutes from start to finish, and you’ll be asleep the whole time.

Answering Common Post-IVF Questions
After a retrieval, almost everybody asks these questions

 Can I see my eggs before I go home? You can’t see your eggs because they can be seen only under a microscope, and no embryologist in the world is going to let a patient still lurching around in an anesthesia daze mess around with his extremely expensive microscope or those precious eggs!

 Why can’t my partner come back to the retrieval room? In some centers, partners are allowed to be present at the egg retrieval. Other centers don’t allow anyone else to be in the room for the retrieval, although they’re often allowed in for the embryo transfer. Usually the rooms are too small to allow extra people, and no one wants partners feeling woozy in the retrieval room and knocking over the ultrasound equipment if they fall.

 Do I have to have an IV? Yes.

 Are you sure you won’t mix up my eggs (or sperm or embryos) with someone else’s? Yes.
Centers are anxious to reassure patients on this topic, since all centers are very aware of the recent cases in the news and are being extremely careful to avoid such an incidence. Most centers label all dishes, collection cups, and so on with the patient’s name, Social Security number, patient number, and sometimes a color code. Egg retrievals and embryo transfers are done one at a time —
never two at the same time. Eggs and embryos go from labeled container to labeled container. And catheters used for embryo transfer are never reused, so someone else’s embryo won’t be stuck in your catheter!
After an embryo transfer, the catheter that was used is examined again to make sure that none of your embryos decided to stay behind. All those little guys should be in the uterus, where they belong!