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Egg aspiration
Egg aspiration is an important part of the in vitro fertilization (IVF) process. With this procedure, eggs are retreived from the ovaries, which are then fertilized in the laboratory
Aspiration process in the Gyn-Fertility Clinic Milenković
In vitro fertilization at the Gyn-Fertility Clinic Milenković is done in cooperation with the Jevremova Gynecology Hospital in Belgrade.
Preparation and consultations are performed in the Clinic, while aspiration, embryo transfer and embryo freezing are performed at Gynecology Hospital Jevremova.
- When aspiration is performed under short-term general anesthesia, an examination by a specialist in internal medicine, a blood type certificate and a blood count (Le, Er, Tr, Hb, HCt) are required.
- When aspiration is performed under local anesthesia, a blood type is required.
- Patients do not take food or water for six to eight hours before egg aspiration, regardless of whether it is done under general or local anesthesia.
- It is necessary to remove nail polish and arrive without jewelry.
The patient comes with her partner an hour before the planned intervention and settles in the patient room.
The partner provides a semen sample that will fertilize the eggs after aspiration.
- The patient then goes to the operating room where the aspiration of the cells will be done;
- After receiving anesthesia, the vagina is treated with saline solution;
- Sterile protection and an accessory through which the aspiration needle passes are placed on the vaginal probe of the ultrasound machine;
- The needle is connected to a pump that extracts fluid from the follicle;
- Under ultrasound control, the needle is placed in the ovary, that is, in each individual follicle, and thus extracts fluid from the follicle. There are egg cells in the fluid.
- The resulting liquid is immediately given to embryologists who identify the eggs and further prepare them for fertilization.
- After the aspiration, the patient returns to the room and stays in the hospital for another two hours.
- Fifteen to twenty minutes after the aspiration, the doctor who performed the intervention comes to the patient's room and informs her about the number of eggs obtained.
- Female patients receive painkillers.
- Pain similar to menstrual pain is most often felt.
- An antibiotic during aspiration is given when there is a risk factor for infection.
Expert advice: frequently asked questions
Answered by Dr. Milan Milenković
How to prepare for egg aspiration?
Aspiration of egg cells is done after the stimulation process, and it can also be done in a spontaneous cycle. After the stimulation process, the woman receives a "stop injection" 34-36 hours before aspiration. No liquid or food should be taken six hours before the planned intervention. It is necessary to do a blood count and blood type.
Is egg aspiration painful?
Egg aspiration is not a painful procedure. It can be done under short-term general and local anesthesia with or without intravenous painkillers. When aspiration is performed under general anesthesia, the patient is asleep and feels neither pain nor discomfort. During the aspiration of egg cells under local anesthesia, the patient feels discomfort and "that something is being done”. After aspiration, pain similar to menstrual pain is usually felt, which stops after taking painkillers.
Are there any risks or complications associated with aspiration?
The risk of bleeding and infection during and after egg aspiration is less than 1%.
How long does recovery take after aspiration?
After aspiration, the patient can return to her usual activities the day after aspiration. Menstrual-like pain, a feeling of pressure in the lower abdomen and scant vaginal bleeding can be present up to 2-3 days after egg aspiration. Heavy physical work and training are not recommended.
What happens to the eggs after aspiration?
The fluid from the follicles containing the eggs is handed over to embryologists who first identify and determine the exact number of eggs obtained. After that, the eggs are fertilized by the partner's or donor's sperm. The resulting embryos are cultivated further in the IVF laboratory until embryo transfer or embryo freezing.
How many eggs are usually collected during aspiration?
The number of eggs obtained varies from one to over twenty depending on the age of the woman, ovarian reserve and the dose of the drug used to stimulate the ovaries.
How will it be determined whether the eggs are mature for fertilization?
An embryologist evaluates the egg under a microscope after aspiration. The egg cell is mature when one polar body is visible in the space around the egg cell, which is a sign that the second reduction division (meiosis) has been completed and that the egg cell has 23 chromosomes, that is, it is in the MII stage.
Can aspiration be repeated in the same cycle if the results are not satisfactory?
Egg aspiration can be repeated in the same cycle. In this case, the obtained eggs or embryos are frozen, and the stimulation process continues after aspiration. That protocol is called duostim.
When will fertilization take place after aspiration?
Fertilization takes place two to four hours after egg aspiration.
Can I use frozen eggs if I have them from a previous cycle?
Eggs frozen from previous cycles can be used for IVF.
