What You Should Know About Egg Retrieval

In vitro fertilization is used for seemingly irreversible female infertility involving problems with the fallopian tubes, sperm or egg quality.

Dr. Deborah Smith is a top-level Reproductive Endocrinologist who leads a team of specialists at Rocky Mountain Fertility Center (RMFC) in Parker, Colorado, and Rapid City, South Dakota. Dr. Smith and her group enjoy one of the highest success rates in the country for fertility treatments. Clients of the center value her medical skill, innovative technologies, and commitment to patient-focused care and comfort.

Egg retrieval and embryo implantation is one of the many fertility services we offer here at RMFC, where our overriding goal is to help ensure miracles happen.

Who benefits from egg retrieval?

As part of a successful in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycle, egg retrieval makes it possible for individuals to become parents, who are not able to on their own. 

Reasons to consider egg retrieval with IVF may include:

• Low ovarian reserves related to poor egg quality
• Blocked or damaged fallopian tubes 
• Infrequent or absent ovulation
• Previous tubal ligation
• Fertility preservation for patients undergoing cancer treatments
• Male factor infertility, low sperm counts or low sperm morphology

Note that retrieved eggs may be cryopreserved for future use (egg freezing)  or used in a current IVF cycle. 

Women who are unable to produce eggs due to age, congenital lack of ovaries, surgical removal of ovaries, and other conditions can also choose a donor to provide viable eggs, which are purchased frozen from accredited facilities where donors are carefully screened. 

A single male or gay male couple with a gestational carrier may also consider egg donation as a solution for having children.

What can I expect during egg retrieval and implantation?

The egg-retrieval process starts with medication which typically consists of oral birth control pills followed by hormone injections for two weeks. This stimulates your ovaries into producing multiple eggs rather than the single egg normally released every month.

The retrieval procedure itself takes 15-20 minutes. It’s completed here at Rocky Mountain Fertility Center and is done under sedation to help you relax. During the procedure, your specialist collects available eggs via an ultrasound probe inserted into your vagina. Most patients report only minimal discomfort with very mild pressure sensations and cramping.

Depending on your treatment schedule, the eggs are then frozen or fertilized with sperm.  Fertilized eggs are allowed to develop into an embryo, and then transferred into your uterus or frozen for future use.   An embryo transfer is an in-office procedure that’s essentially painless and requires no sedation. 

For more information about egg retrieval or any of the services we offer here at Rocky Mountain Fertility Center, call the office to schedule a visit or request an appointment online.