sedation for IVF egg retrieval…

[FirstIVF]

I’m having an egg retrieval (doing IVF) soon under conscious sedation. Can anyone advise what i can expect?

Will i remember it?
Feel it? Or is sedation different to pain relief? Can sedation and/or pain relief be increased throughout the procedure if required?

i’m worried about feeling pain but equally would appreciate honest experiences and advice so i can prepare myself. TIA x

Most people are out like a light. Some are still awake. I can't remember a thing from either of mine - lovely little sleep!

Hi I have had conscious sedation twice for both of my retrieval cycles and it’s pretty straightforward forward. No need to worry at all. You won’t know or feel a thing. Good luck!

I had conscious sedation for mine but felt like I was actually not conscious at all. They started to put the medication through the drip and it felt like one second later I was back in recovery and they said it was over.
I was worried about pain / talking shit etc but was out like a light so no need to worry x

I remember saying "oh I think it's working" as the anaesthetist put the drug in the cannula and I zonked out the second I finished the sentence😅 woke up not having been aware of anything at all, feelingnthat blissful chill that comes from anaesthetic!

Thank you all for reassurance :)

Hi, I haven't had it myself but I work in operating theatres a lot so I see people under conscious sedation having some pretty intense work done. They are all out like a light, sometimes they react a little bit to pain and then the anesthetist ups the pain killers and sedation and they wake up not remembering anything.

What is conscious sedation ?
How does that differ to be asleep?
I was told id be asleep during the egg retrieval

I had this and remained awake throughout. I wouldn't describe it as painful, rather just a bit of discomfort.

Conscious sedation is when you're given sedatives and pain killers and drift off into a sleep. You aren't given paralytics that you would normally get given under a general anaesthetic, if you had them you'd need a tube down your throat and a machine to breathe for you.

If you're unsure whether you're having conscious sedation or general anaesthetic I would confirm with your clinic. They have very different recovery processes and time periods