Has anyone had egg collection with anaesthesia

[Petitepoi]

Hi guys, I’m just wanting to know if anyone has had an egg collection with anaesthetic anywhere near Sheffield? I had 2 rounds of IVF last year at Jessops and the egg collections were what I can only describe as horrifying. I was screaming so much one of the nurses was crying. My consultant told me a small amount of women do have a lot of pain however they can’t put us to sleep as they don’t have the means (I find this barbaric tbh). I have since been diagnosed with endometriosis (left ovary had a large endometrioma and this was the most painful side). We are looking into going again next year however unsure who to go with and cannot find anywhere online that puts you to sleep for egg collection. Does anyone have any experiences/answers? TIA xxx

I wouldn't count temazepam as sedation for egg collection. A lot of clinics use it to help patients relax at embryo transfer but it doesn't actually seem to 'sedate' more like relax. Egg collection needs to be IV sedation or it's the equivalent of not actually been given anything. OP you've got to find a clinic that has a specialist anaesthetist that is able to monitor the actual 'sedation' ie via IV and like a PP said, feels very much like a general anaesthetic but there are more chances you'll remember what happened/might feel pain but a very different experience to being given temazepam.

It's a bit far from Sheffield but I was knocked out for egg collection at The Agora in Brighton.

@Monsterjam it can be given to relax you before a procedure. It's not for sedation.
It's mainly for severe insomnia short term.

Shocking! I've had four egg collections now and all of them with twilight sedation in both London and the south, both NHS and private. I'm so sorry they put you through that.

You probably aren't seeing much on sites because sedation is so typical. I'd ring them up and email. Mine has a nurses email and they handle those types of questions. I'd expect even the info@ type emails would be forwarded to them.

@MoserRothOrangeandAlmond thankyou. It really makes you realise how bad it actually is. All I’ve heard online is ppl saying egg collection is so easy etc and just a bit uncomfortable. So I was so confused when mine was so bad. It makes sense though with the different types of ‘sedation’!

@DillyDallyingAllDay it’s so hard. I can’t seem to find anywhere near me, hence the post! It’s actually terrifying me that I will have to go through it again and making me wonder if I can actually do it. And even if I manage it, I feel like it puts my body under so much stress that it will affect my transfers. I’ve had counselling and been told I have PTSD from it. I feel like if ppl are saying they’ve had IV sedation then surely that could be an option for me.

@MummySleepDeprived i will do Thankyou x

I had cheap IVF with ABC (in London, but they have clinics all over) and even they used IV sedation! I don't remember a thing!

Hi Hewitt fertility in Liverpool do both IV sedation and GA. Not too far from Sheffield

@Tombobombo oh really 🤔 I’ll look into that then, thankyou! X

Exact same experience at Care Nottingham. DS is 12.
Also black cats are indeed brilliant

Mine was Care Notts too! Great experience all round (and it was a bloody long and traumatic process through 6 rounds!)

This. I had twilight as well

What kind of IVF clinic can’t do it?! Of course they have the means! They are probably too cheap to get an anaesthetist, as they aren’t cheap. A work colleague of mine had IVF in the 90’s and this is how she said it was

I too have an ovarian endometrioma- only diagnosed when I started IVF. I went to Guys in london, had both NHS and self paying/private IVF there. Each time there was an anesthetist and I had twilight sedation. Once cannulated, I was asleep and don't remember anything till they pushed the back of the bed up to wake me up!
I can only assume Jessops doesn't have an anesthetist onsite. I assume they are cheaper than other places due to this and their limitations. It sounds barbaric, if I'm honest, and surprised you returned for a 2nd round. 😬

I had heavy iv sedation with mine. I'm a nurse and I think generally oral sedation tablets aren't used as they are slower acting and just make you a bit drowsy. Low doses of iv sedation such as midazolam can be given without an anaesthetist present because it's unlikely to compromise your breathing (so it's ok for something like a colonoscopy to lower your awareness but probably wouldn't be enough for an egg retrieval). Anything stronger needs an anaesthetist present as they can titrate the dose to give you more and can manage your airway if needed.

It's not my area of expertise but I think that's generally how it goes.

That doesn’t sound like proper sedation 😳. I had IV sedation too - I was drifting in and out of consciousness and vaguely aware of people but certainly no pain!

I had 2 egg retrievals at the end of COVID and the clinic told me that during the pandemic they stopped offering IV sedation, because they couldn’t get any anaesthetists. The majority of women coped fine so they just don’t offer it now (coz money saving). Note the price of IVF doesn’t come down tho! I did only have temazepam and it was painful but bearable. I did it twice so could do it again. I know other people have really struggled without tho.

This is insane! I think most reputable clinics will offer proper iv sedation and I would steer clear of anywhere that didn’t. Have you tried calling the ivf clinics near you to ask? I thjnk it’s assumed egg collection will be done under sedation that they might not even mention it on their website.

I had GA but that was in London.

I don't think I could have managed sedation especially with how bloated I was.

GL OP xx

@WooWooWinnie I'm not sure which clinic told you they stopped offering IV sedation during the pandemic? Maybe some private only clinics not connected to a main hospital?
As I said up thread, I had IVF at Guys, London.
My 1st egg retrieval was days before the 1st England lock down.
The next was during a break in lock down which was assumed to be the end. Turned out it wasn't though. Both times I had an anesthetist and twilight sedation.

2013 so may have changed, but IVF through NHS at Bourne Clinic near Cambridge did egg harvesting under general anaesthetic as standard. There wasn't even a discussion of alternative options. Given they retrieved 48 (!!!) on the first occasion (and I had a wonderful bout of OHSS after that) I'm very, very glad that was the case.

Yes, sorry, it was a private clinic (hence why they have to “buy in” an anaesthetist).

@TruthorDie Mine was the hospital, NHS funding, they told me there’s very few places that actually give you a general for egg collection. And tbh, they must be right because I’ve only heard of people having it done in London so far :(

@JC03745 yes, they told me they only do it in extreme cases (like if you have serious heart condition etc). I returned for a 2nd round because I had no choice - I’m willing to put myself through that just for a chance of a baby. And I think it’s horrendous that we have to do that to ourselves :(

@Dollmeup yeah they told me they couldn’t give me anymore as I had had the top dose and anymore would be dangerous :(