All the early morning monitoring appointments, daily stims, follicle counts, etc., all come down to this very moment.
I remember laying in the hospital bed shaking with nerves as the nurse started to administer my IV. I had so many fears:
What if there are no eggs?
What if I already ovulated?
What if something goes wrong?
These are the last thoughts I remember before closing my eyes and being wheeled into the operating room. The moments leading up to the retrieval consisted of so much pain, sadness, but ultimately, hope.
I was fortunate enough to have my husband in the room with me for the retrieval of our first IVF experience. He is still amazed by the process and being able to witness the experience.
The retrieval process consists of a tiny needle being gently guided through a catheter into the uterus. One by one, the eggs are retrieves using a light suction. The eggs are collected in test tubes and passed over directly to the embryologist. Counting out loud the amount of eggs that were retrieved.
12 follicles at ER | 8 eggs retrieved (6 mature) | 5 eggs fertilized.
Do you have any worries or words of wisdom associated with the Egg Retrieval Process?
My Journey through Infertility 