Why can't you use anesthesia when you retrieve eggs?

When performing artificial insemination, eggs need to be retrieved. Generally, no anesthesia is used during egg retrieval. On the one hand, if anesthesia is used, it may affect the quality of the eggs. On the other hand, although it is a bit painful when retrieving eggs, most people can accept it. This is also to ensure the better quality of the eggs and ensure the success of artificial insemination. Therefore, it is acceptable to most women.

Is it painful to retrieve eggs without anesthesia?

It will be a little painful to retrieve eggs without anesthesia, but most people can tolerate it. After all, egg retrieval is an operation. It is done under the guidance of vaginal B-ultrasound, and the eggs are extracted by puncturing the follicles through the vagina with a puncture needle, so it will be more or less painful without anesthesia.

How painful is it to retrieve eggs without anesthesia?

The degree of pain during egg retrieval without anesthesia depends on individual circumstances. Although the puncture needles currently used in medicine are relatively thin and cause little damage, pain still exists, especially for those who have a lot of follicles, or whose ovaries are in a bad position, whose ovaries are blocked, or who have a small number of eggs retrieved. If anesthesia is not used, the pain of the operation will be more intense. The judgment should be made based on the patient's own sensations.

How is egg retrieval done?

1. Ovulation induction therapy

There are many types of ovulation induction programs, such as the standard long program, short program, antagonist program, etc. The long protocol refers to the use of GnRH agonists starting in the luteal phase of the previous cycle, the short protocol refers to the use of GnRH agonists starting on the second day of the menstrual cycle, and the antagonist protocol is to use gonadotropins first, and then start using GnRH antagonists after the follicles have grown to a certain extent.

2. Monitoring follicles

In order to evaluate the effect of ovarian stimulation and determine the time for egg retrieval, vaginal B-ultrasound is required to monitor the size of follicles, and blood tests are conducted to check the E2 value (estrogen) and adjust the dosage of medication.

3. Egg retrieval

The most commonly used method of egg retrieval is to insert the egg retrieval needle through the vaginal vault and directly reach the ovary to absorb the eggs under local anesthesia and then immediately transfer the eggs to a culture dish containing embryo culture medium under a microscope and culture them in a 37°C incubator.

What should I pay attention to after egg retrieval?

1. Pay attention to bed rest and drink plenty of water. There will be mild abdominal pain and other discomfort after the operation. It is best to rest in bed and drink plenty of water to speed up urination and prevent infection.

2. Move gently. During the ovulation cycle, the ovaries will be larger than usual. In order to prevent ovarian torsion, daily activities should be light, slow and steady.

3. Pay attention to wound hygiene. After the operation, the wound should be kept clean and hygienic, and the vulva should also be kept clean to prevent infection and other diseases.

4. Pay attention to your physical condition. If severe abdominal pain, vaginal bleeding, etc. occurs, seek medical attention immediately.

5. Mainly eat a high-protein diet. The diet after egg retrieval should mainly consist of high-protein foods, which is also beneficial to the body's recovery after surgery.

6. Never do anything that is forbidden. During the month of surgery, sexual intercourse, bathing and swimming are prohibited; you can take a shower; avoid strenuous exercise.

7. Follow your doctor’s advice carefully. For intramuscular injection of HCG/progesterone or vaginal progesterone embolization, you cannot change the dosage or miss it without authorization and must follow the doctor's instructions.