Ovarian puncture or PICK-UP: What does it involve? What should I keep in mind for it to be successful?

Egg retrieval is a simple procedure. It is performed in an operating theatre for safety reasons. It is performed vaginally and involves aspirating the follicular fluid through a thin needle. Embryologists then retrieve from this fluid the eggs that have matured during stimulation. It lasts for 5 to 15 minutes, and a mild sedative is administered to prevent any kind of pain during the procedure. Patients are fully conscious when they leave the room, and they later move into a private room in order to recover. They remain in the room for a period of one to two hours. It is thus not necessary to spend the night at the clinic. Patients have to fast for a minimum of 6 hours. No special preparation is necessary. When the procedure is finished, they are offered a type of breakfast that is well tolerated, and they are allowed to leave the clinic. We recommend spending a relaxing evening on the day of egg retrieval.