Egg retrieval happens about 34–36 hours after the trigger injection that matures the eggs. Under short sedation or light anaesthesia, the doctor passes a fine needle through the vaginal wall into each ovary, guided by ultrasound, and gently aspirates the fluid from each follicle. The embryologist then finds the eggs in that fluid.
What it feels like
The procedure typically takes 15–30 minutes. Because of the sedation, there's no pain during it; afterwards, mild cramping or bloating for a day or two is common. Most women go home the same day and rest, returning to normal activity within a day or so.
What happens next
The collected eggs are fertilized in the lab the same day — by conventional IVF or ICSI — and the resulting embryos are cultured over the following days.