Egg collection newbie

[SeeTheHope]

Hi everyone, I’m having my eggs collected on Monday for a freeze all.

Whilst I’ve been on the fertility journey for years, IVF has moved relatively fast since our IUI didn’t work last year.

I’m not well versed in what to expect after collection (stages from follicles to eggs, blastocysts etc). what is going to happen to the follicles after they’re collected?

I have watched videos etc but i keep seeing people post here in a much more informed way.

Wondered if anyone could help explain? I’m expecting it will be info overload at our procedure on Monday, I don’t want to be caught off guard. Thanks in advance for any advice!

also, how painful is it to recover? My clinic has signed me off for two weeks after which has worried me!

Hi 👋

Are you having freeze all due to risk of OHSS? If so, that may be why you was signed off.

I was back to work the next day, some cramping like bad period pains but nothing I couldn’t manage but I only had 4 eggs.

Procedure itself super quick and painless, sedation is amazing!

Usually told on the day how many they collected. Phone call after is how many have fertilised. Clinics then differ on how often they inform you of progress. Some daily, some every few, some just on day of transfer.

One thing I’d say from experience is expect the unexpected. I had total failed fertilisation (nothing happened overnight) so never got to any blastocysts. I was completely unprepared for this as naively didn’t even think that could happen!

Tof luck x

@SeeTheHope have a look at emma the Embryologist on instagram, she explains the whole IVF process really clearly and helped me understand what to expect a lot better!

I've done 2 egg collections with deep sedation and felt very tired and a bit woozy after, physically absolutely fine in the first and a bit achey in the 2nd. I took a full day off work for each and the day after in the 2nd round but that was more emotionally I didn't want to be at work.

They tell you on the day how many eggs they got, and my clinic rang the following day with an update on how many fertilised, then a day 3 update and then how many had made it to blastocyst on day 5. I was freezing all to do genetic testing. Some of ours got to the day 5 stage later in the day after they'd called, and some on day 6, so they also called to update with that. It can be very tough waiting for an receiving the calls especially if its not the news you were hoping for.

Best of luck! Xx

Sedation was probably the highlight I felt so relaxed and dozy 😂😂

Pain was ok, just some mild cramping. I pre booked a few days off just in case but didn’t really need them. I would take the 2 weeks if it’s on offer though!

Our clinic only grade A B and C, I’ve seen much more detailed on here. But on the day they explained to me that the difference in success rate between A B and C embryos is less than 2% which made me much more reassured. Obviously you want as good as you can get but 6% max difference sounded better odds. I’ve tried to look for facts on this which seem really hard to find though?

The wait for calls is excruciating. Try and keep your mind occupied if you can, and familiarise with the rates of drop off as I think it’s quite high. We collected 15 on the day (only 13 were good) and then ended up with 7 embryos. Super lucky but as an example we ended up with less than half of what we collected which I believe is about average.

Good luck with it all!

Hi OP, couple of things I wish I’d known before my first round, firstly drop off stats (below). Secondly I didn’t appreciate finding out I hadn’t got many eggs straight after the procedure, I was alone in the recovery area (DP wasn’t allowed in) and I was still woozy so just ended up crying. Next time round I made them write it down and fold up the piece of paper so I could find out at home with DP when I was more with it.

Being off for 2 weeks seems a lot. I worked from home a couple of days after and was back in the office in a few days - have had several collections and same each time.

In terms of stats once collected, I was told that for my age group (30-35 years):

• of eggs collected roughly 80% are expected to be mature
• of those mature eggs 80% expected to fertilise
• of those embryos still alive on day 3 30-50% are expected to make it to blast/day 5 or 6
• of those blasts, 40-60% expected to be euploid (bit of variation depending on the embryo grade here)

Good luck with your collection 🍀

I was terrified of egg collection but it was honestly fine, almost an enjoyable experience. Mine was under conscious sedation, though I just fell asleep immediately and have no recollection of the procedure at all. I was awake within 35 minutes of dropping off, having a brew and a sandwich. I'm also surprised they've told you you'll need 2 weeks off, that seems excessive. My procedure was in the morning and by 4pm I was out walking. I booked 2 days off work but only ended up taking off the day of the procedure - I was back in work the next day as normal. For me, it was better for my nerves as I waited for the calls about fertilisation and embryo development to keep busy, but I appreciate everyone is different.

As PPs have said, be prepared for a drop-off; I had 8 eggs collected but only 2 made it to day 5, so a 25% success rate. And do not fixate on the number of eggs collected - it's quality not quantity that matters.

Hi everyone, that’s really helpful info thank you!

@ivfjourneyandme yeah l have been advised I’m at risk of OHSS - got high numbers of follices, hence freeze all, but I’ve still found it hard to grasp the two weeks off work. I never take two weeks even for my summer holiday 😂. Equally happy to give my body time to rest though, I want it ready for the next stage.

@Btowngirl i was hoping someone would say that about sedation 😂 i had a colonoscopy last year with sedation and honestly was in a warm fuzzy bubble the whole time. If it’s like that then i’m cool!

@Zypig thanks all for your experiences and insights on drop off numbers too, that’s reassuring. I prefer to know the odds and be mentally prepared for all outcomes at both ends of the extreme.

@orangewillow thank you for the Instagram account suggestion, i’ll take a look today!

@xMrsxHx87x that’s a great point on quality not quantity 🤞 hopefully things move in a positive direction tomorrow.

Hi everyone, I had my procedure yesterday and it went well. No issues with the experience or sedation thankfully. I really appreciated everyone’s advice as it helped me anticipate what to expect. Thank you

Hi all, how was everyone’s abdomen / lower back after collection? I’m in quite a bit of discomfort after mine this morning and have been all weekend before collection really - I had 36 follicles and 19 collected today so wondering if this is why I’m feeling so tender. Thanks all. @SeeTheHope @Btowngirl @ivfjourneyandme @Orangewillow @xMrsxHx87x @Zypig

I wasn't too bad, it was like a dull ache/period pain sensation. Didn't stop me from being up and about after maybe 3-4 hours rest. But my numbers were much lower than yours, only 8 collected, so there could be a correlation there? Take paracetamol and cuddle a hot water bottle if you have one. Best of luck with everything!

@Quaver9 wow that's a lot so it makes sense you'd be in a bit of discomfort! I only had 8/9 collected each time. The second time I felt a bit sore and delicate when I sat down, sort of achey, but it didn't last long at all, was totally fine within a couple of days

@Quaver9 I had mine two weeks ago, and was in a bit of discomfort for a few days (bloating, constipation). I'd highly recommend electrolyte drinks- coconut water, electrolyte powders etc. I also bought movicol from the pharmacy and that helped with the digestive discomfort. Some movement and light walking when you feel up to it! Felt fine after a few days :)

@Orangewillow @xMrsxHx87x thanks so much for replying quickly with reassurance! Hopefully I’ll be feeling better tomorrow xx

@Quaver9 congrats on the numbers and good luck for fertilisation, come back and update us 🤞

I believe you would be considered borderline OHSS so that’s probably caused the discomfort? I had 17 collected and had loads of bloating and some sharp pain. I just rested/slept the sedation off for the rest of the day. Hopefully you feel better soon!

@Quaver9 First of all congrats on those numbers! 🙌 Great start! And yes I had similar tenderness. Before my procedure I was bloated (never normally get bloating so definitely related to the meds I was on).

After the procedure I was still bloated for a few days, sore when bending over and moving/lifting things, tender to touch my tummy. I also had constipation from Mon - Fri. I started taking fybogel tablets on Weds - really helped.

I had an abdominal scan today as I started my period (procedure was only last Monday, so it’s come quite early!) - in the scan they saw lots of fluid still around my ovaries, and my ovaries are swollen. So yeah that’s a week on.

i think what you’ve described is reasonable as you say given the numbers. Drink lots of water (helps with the constipation!), drink electrolytes (helps reduce fluid retention) and paracetamol if hurting. Best of luck for the the next steps! ✨💜

@SeeTheHope ahhh I totally relate to what you describe and I’d already been googling fluid issues after EC! Bad constipation too!
Even if I felt ok for transfer they mentioned they’d scan to check for fluid etc so I wouldn’t be surprised if that was an issue and meant we need to freeze.
already on the electrolytes and paracetamol! Good luck with your transfer when it comes around and thanks for taking the time to share your experience that’s really helpful!