Overview of the Egg Retrieval Procedure
Egg retrieval (also known as oocyte pick-up or OPU) is a short, minimally invasive procedure performed 34–36 hours after your trigger injection. It is carried out under light intravenous sedation or conscious sedation — you will be comfortable and pain-free throughout. The entire procedure typically takes 15–20 minutes, and most patients are able to go home within 1–2 hours of waking.
How Egg Retrieval Is Performed
Preparation & Sedation
On the day of retrieval, you will arrive at the clinic with an empty stomach (fasting from midnight the night before). An anaesthetist will administer a light intravenous sedative that allows you to remain relaxed and unaware of the procedure without requiring general anaesthesia. Your vital signs are monitored continuously throughout.
The Retrieval Technique
Your fertility specialist performs the retrieval using transvaginal ultrasound guidance. A thin needle is passed through the vaginal wall into each ovarian follicle. The fluid within each follicle — which contains the egg — is gently aspirated into a test tube and immediately handed to the embryologist, who examines it under a microscope to identify and isolate each egg.
The needle is guided precisely using real-time ultrasound imaging, allowing the specialist to access each follicle individually. Both ovaries are typically drained during the same session. The technique does not involve any external incisions or stitches.
Immediately After Retrieval
After the procedure, you will rest in a recovery area for approximately 60–90 minutes as the sedation wears off. Mild cramping, light vaginal spotting, and a feeling of bloating are normal and typically resolve within 24–48 hours. You will be informed of the total number of eggs retrieved before you leave the clinic.
A responsible adult must accompany you home, as you should not drive or make important decisions for 24 hours following sedation. Most patients feel well enough to resume normal activities the following day, though strenuous exercise should be avoided for approximately one week.
Sperm Collection
Collection by Ejaculation
On the same day as egg retrieval, a fresh semen sample is required for fertilisation. The male partner provides the sample at the clinic via masturbation in a private, dedicated collection room. A period of sexual abstinence of 2–5 days prior to collection is recommended to optimise sperm quality. The sample is processed in the andrology laboratory using density gradient centrifugation or swim-up techniques to isolate the healthiest, most motile sperm.
Surgical Sperm Retrieval (When Required)
For patients with obstructive azoospermia (no sperm in the ejaculate due to a blockage), non-obstructive azoospermia, prior vasectomy, or ejaculatory dysfunction, sperm can be retrieved surgically. Techniques include:
TESA (Testicular Sperm Aspiration): A fine needle is inserted into the testis under local anaesthesia to extract sperm directly from testicular tissue.
PESA (Percutaneous Epididymal Sperm Aspiration): Sperm is aspirated from the epididymis using a small needle, suitable for cases of obstructive azoospermia.
Micro-TESE (Microsurgical Testicular Sperm Extraction): An operating microscope is used to identify and extract sperm-producing tissue from the testis, recommended for non-obstructive azoospermia with the highest retrieval rates.
Surgically retrieved sperm is used with ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection) for fertilisation, as the quantity is typically insufficient for conventional IVF.
Frozen Sperm Samples
If the male partner is unable to be present on the day of egg retrieval — due to travel, work, or medical reasons — a semen sample can be cryopreserved in advance. Frozen sperm can be thawed and used for fertilisation with no significant reduction in IVF success rates when ICSI is employed.
Risks & Complications
Egg retrieval is considered a very safe procedure. Rare complications include mild infection (minimised by prophylactic antibiotics), minor intra-abdominal bleeding, or inadvertent injury to adjacent structures. Serious complications are exceedingly rare. All patients receive post-procedure instructions and a 24-hour emergency contact number.
Frequently Asked Questions
You will be under conscious sedation — a light twilight anaesthesia that keeps you comfortable and unaware of the procedure. It is not general anaesthesia, so recovery is rapid. Most patients have no memory of the procedure.
This depends on your age, ovarian reserve, and stimulation response. On average, 8–15 eggs are retrieved per cycle. Not all eggs will be mature, and not all mature eggs will fertilise — your embryologist will provide a detailed update on the day of retrieval and again after fertilisation.
Under sedation, you will not feel pain during the procedure. Afterwards, mild cramping similar to menstrual discomfort is common and can be managed with paracetamol or a prescribed pain reliever. Severe pain is uncommon and should be reported immediately.
In rare cases (sometimes called “empty follicle syndrome”), follicles may not yield eggs despite responding to stimulation. If this occurs, your specialist will review the possible causes and recommend protocol adjustments for a subsequent cycle.
In some cases, yes — the sample must be delivered to the laboratory within 30–60 minutes of production, kept at body temperature during transport. Your clinic will provide a sterile collection container and specific instructions. However, in-clinic collection is preferred for optimal sample quality.
Performance anxiety is common. The clinic environment is designed to be private and pressure-free. If needed, your specialist may prescribe supportive medication in advance, arrange for a backup frozen sample to be cryopreserved before retrieval day, or schedule a surgical retrieval if appropriate.
The embryology team will contact you approximately 16–18 hours after retrieval with your fertilisation report — confirming how many eggs were mature, how many were inseminated, and how many have fertilised normally.