IVF egg collection - is paracetamol/nurofen enough for the pain? how does pethidine make you feel?

[MamaChris]

I am due egg collection for IVF tomorrow morning. the clinic suggested a local anaesthetic and when I said I was worried pethidine would make me feel strange (I got all paranoid on whatever painkillers I was given for wisdom teeth removal), they said I could do it on just nurofen and paracetamol, with a bit of gas and air if needed. this sounded fine to me at the time - after all I did labour with gas and air - but now tomorrow's looming...

can anyone tell me just how much egg collection hurts? could you have managed on just these painkillers? and if you had pethidine, how did it agree with you?

Hi MamaChris - I had a general anesthetic, so afraid can't help other than to say that the more you move the harder it will be to collect all the possible eggs. Have you tried asking the question on the Assisted Conception thread? - I'm sure the lovely ladies there will be able to help. Good luck tomorrow - hope it all goes well for you.

my friend did her first egg collection without anything but demanded something second time. pethidine made me loopy during labour, if im lucky enough to have another baby i wont be having it. my hairdresser just had eggs collected and was put to sleep i think

Hey. Can I just say that having gone through ivf myself-egg collection was the end of sept. last year-congratulations on getting through the injections. I found that the hardest part.
It's a bit uncomfortable and be prepared that there will be quite a few people in the room and you'll have your legs akimbo in stirrup/supports. I just had paracetamol the following day but didn't really even need that.
I didn't have pethidine but have had it before and hated it. It made me feel quite sketchy.
Good luck tomorrow. It's really ok and the embryo implant is a walk in the park apart from having to have a full bladder for an hour.
We had a beautiful boy in June and would do it all again in a heartbeat.

thanks for the quick replies.

Monkeygirl - thanks for the positive messages - really want this to work! what painkilling medication (if any) did you have during the egg collection itself? I found the injections fine, so if it's no worse than than I'm laughing!

Issy42 - thanks - will seek out that thread.

tayto - bit worrying your hairdresser wanted something second time, but also good she managed without it first time...

thanks ll. quite worried about the ungainliness of it all! have 5 good follicles and another 7 around 15mm so trying not to worry about lack of eggs. I guess it's true, they wouldn't offer this option if it wasn't possible. that's a good way to think.

Hey,
I was given a little cocktail of drugs that I don't remember hurting but they did make time pass very quickly. I thought i'd only been gone for 1o mins and it'd taken 40mins. The effect doesn't last long though. Went home after and curled up on the sofa and watched rubbish telly. Remember to take it easy.

And Lottie, same here with the good looking doctor looking at my chuff. I don't know why it makes a difference.

I really hope it all goes well. Keep us updated.

well it wasn't too bad

managed without pethidine or gas and air, just a bit of steady breathing. bit sore, but only took 10 minutes. the nurses were lovely, and talked me through everything as it was happening. feeling fine now and very glad I didn't take a risk on stronger painkillers.

14 eggs, so keeping fingers crossed that enough are mature and will fertilise...

Hey,

Glad it all went well. 14 eggs is great-think I had 12.

Now just relax and put your feet up. How many embryos are they going to put in you? I'm not sure if you're allowed more than one anymore.

Did you have any acupuncture? It's compulsary in some countries when going for IVF. We did it and it seemed to work - or it could just have been coincidence.

Good luck with the egg transfer (thurs?)and keep us updated.

By the way the '69' in my user name refers to the year i was born.

@ 69 clarification - I kinda guessed that

No acupuncture. I think it's one of those things that works if you believe in it, but can't bring myself to be a believer!

We'd be allowed 2 embryos, but very scared of twins so we've elected for single embryo transfer, and hoping to get enough embryos to try for blastocysts, which would be transferred Saturday. But if there are not enough good embryos, then it'll be transfer on Wed or Thus. Toes all crossed now.

glad everything went well for you mamachris I just went through ET today and EC on Friday. I think going for one blast is a great idea if you are worried about twins. All the best for you, and please stop by the Assisted Conception thread.

I'm due for egg collection tomorrow, my 3rd IVF try, and am really wanting to avoid sedation or GA. I react really badly to anything with opiates, and would be very very happy to try just paracetamol and deep breathing, but my clinic says this is 'never done in the UK'.

Last time I had really light sedation (but still felt ill), and did feel the pain, and feel sure I can cope with it, but tomorrow I have a doctor who is notorious for giving super-heavy sedation.

Those of you who have had no sedation, GA or local anaesthetic, would you mind telling me which clinic it was at? I'm hoping if I can prove to my clinic that it is done, they might agree to get all the IVs in, but not put drugs in unless I actually ask for them!

Many thanks