You will be required to attend the Emergency Centre at the Hospital outside of office hours for this injection. Most commonly this is done under a general anaesthetic vaginally using ultrasound, although in certain cases may be done by laparoscopy. The follicles are visualised, and the fluid inside them is sucked through a needle and tubing into a test tube. The tube is passed immediately to the embryologist who looks for the egg under the microscope. The eggs are then put in the incubator.
Most patients are sleepy, and some are nauseated for a few hours after the operation.
You can be discharged 6 hours after the operation. When possible, your own gynaecologist will perform the egg collection, but because of other commitments this is not always possible. We will inform you of the approximate sperm collection time once the ovum pick-up time has been arranged. It will be approximately 1-8 hours after the operation. Three days abstinence from intercourse will be necessary prior to ovum pick-up.