To request conscious sedation for egg retrieval (IVF)

Also to add - you can request gas and air for embryo transfers if you find them painful. Game changer for me!

Wishing you luck with the IVF. 6 months in with my little miracle here ✨️

I didn't have sedation per se but did have IV fentanyl which has a sedative effect as well as being a painkiller.

This was fine, I remembered everything but was in a lovely happy floaty state! (Definitely more aware than when I've had sedation for dental work.)

So strong IV pain relief should be enough without specific sedation. Just in case you're offered that!

Sedation always! I wouldn’t have consented to egg collection without it. I rejected any clinics that didn’t offer being knocked out.

I’m sorry, that’s quite shit. I’d rather the clinic calls a spade a spade - so acknowledge they’re an outlier and that they don’t have the staff to facilitate conscious sedation. I would move clinic if I possibly could, but I know that’s maybe easier said than done.

I did it in the USA and sedation (I want to say it was fentanyl and versed, but it could have been propofol) is standard. I do suspect they're using gas & air for cost reasons and to avoid needing an anaesthetist. You can and should ask, but be prepared to be told they can't because they don't have staffing. They may be able to offer an oral medication, though, which would help.

Having had ER for IVF 100% push for sedation, even with mine I could feel it towards the end and no way would I even have attempted it with just gas and air. I also had g&a for transfer too as I’ve got faaaaar too much trauma from past experiences of folk rummaging around in my undercarriage area. Currently listening to my toddler snoozing 💖

I was away home within 2hr of ER and didn’t feel any side effects from the sedation

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I’ve had several egg collections, under sedation, fentanyl and something else which I don’t remember the name of. The procedure was still painful but like it was happening to someone else not me, and my memory of it very quickly faded within minutes. The sedation makes you not care/detatch. Surreal I remember that you can hear the dr and embryologists throughout and they call out each egg, but then in recovery someone tells you how many and it’s like Brand New Information.

I had IVF recently and had conscious sedation for it - the worst part was having the cannula put in! I don’t remember a thing from
the procedure - I believe it took 20 minutes - and I woke up f the most incredible sleep.
I left probably an hour later after a cup of tea and some biscuits. DH drove us home - felt fine for the rest of the day.
100% insist on sedation - with everything else you’ve been through, they should be bending over backwards to accommodate you!
Ours was a private clinic via NHS referral also in the SW. Put your foot down, gas & air is not good enough.
Good luck OP! And wishing you all the best with the IVF 💜 I’m now 10.5 weeks pregnant after our first round

YANBU - I had a general anaesthetic when I had IVF.
The embryo transfer awake was grim enough.

What do other clinics do these days?

Mine was very unpleasant despite sedation and I would not consent to gas and air if I ever had to do it again.

I also wanted to reassure you OP that while I found that my IVF clinic were pretty terrible when it came to dealing with the fact that I had PTSD (also from a rape) that the same could not be said of anyone I encountered during my pregnancy. From start to finish, my mental wellbeing was a priority and every effort was made to ensure that any potential triggers were removed so I had the best chance of staying mentally well post-birth. It was something on my mind a lot especially during the IVF process which I found very hard to cope with so just in case you had the same worries, I wanted to provide my perspective.

Didn’t know gas & air was an option. Had sedation at Guys (NHS & private). Wouldn’t have liked G&A

I didn’t get offered sedation or gas and air. Some pain killers beforehand. Yes it’s a bit sore but I wouldn’t have thought sedation sore! Less sore than childbirth I would say!

And who cares what she has persuaded your dh about, its you getting it done so its up to you.

Ask the nurse advising your dh is she has had this procedure and is talking from experience??

I had my first without any sedation and absolutely would NEVER do it again. For me very traumatic and painful. My second was done with sedation and was fine, though I needed to sleep it off and snugged in bed once home. I was told it was “better” for the eggs to be as drug free as possible. Grim. It wasn’t better for me or for my relationship. Tell your dp “no” and do what’s best for you.

I haven’t had IVF but another person here to say their experiences with sedation were absolutely fine. I had it for a gastroscopy and I was awake and can remember what happened but I don’t have memories of any fear, discomfort etc. It’s as if I heard about or observed the procedure being done to someone else, if that makes sense.

For recovery, I sat for about 10 minutes with an oxygen mask and then the only other waiting was for my husband to collect me. No after effects that I was aware of, we went straight out for dinner and I ate as usual. My husband says I seemed normal. The next day was like it hadn’t happened.

I was fully sedated for my retrieval. That’s standard at my clinic in Liverpool

I had a egg collection (also in SWE, same clinic???) with g&a it was absolutely fine, quick, and didnt feel much I basically spent the whole time giggling my tits off because of the g&a... they did local anasthetic injections in the vagina for me so maybe that helped me not feel as much... I guess they dont do local anasthetic if your sedated because theres no point since youre asleep anyway... i did ask about sedation but they explained they couldnt give me it because they don't have an anethatist which meant it wasnt safe to give me sedation. Ask the question about if its possible to have sedation but be ready to hear "no" if its the same clinic or the same reason. If they dont have the right staff they cant really change that but if you feel strongly about it ask if maybe you can be put to sleep for it in a proper operating room with an anethatist or ask if you can transfer your NHS care to a different clinic under Right to Choose

On no account undergo egg retrieval without being sedated. It’s a needle puncturing your vaginal wall and perforating your ovary - on gas and air you would feel it all and be in agony. Insist on sedation.

I’ve had this procedure done with heavy sedation (NHS hospitals) and with conscious sedation (CARE fertility). I strongly recommend you request heavy sedation if available. For me, conscious sedation was feeling the pain but with a foggy head/ difficulty communicating. The private clinics try to avoid heavy sedation so they don’t have to have an anaesthetist, I think, but in the NHS it is standard. What I mean by heavy sedation is apparently they spoke to me throughout but I don’t think I could feel or remember anything. Much, much better. Only an hour or two to recover afterwards and for me, much less traumatic than conscious sedation. Yes, I think there is absolutely a tendency to play down the pain of the procedure.

Just to add, my sedation was through the mask, not IV and I went home after a couple of hours

I was sedated for both of my egg retrievals and I can’t imagine it with G&A only. I was in agony when I woke both times- it is a very painful procedure. Please advocate for yourself xx