IVF Egg Collection

In my last post, I wrote about getting through the medication stage of IVF. With that done, it was time for the egg collection.

I felt nervous and anxious about the procedure. My mind kept racing with thoughts that I wished were more positive: What if the eggs aren’t good because of my age? How will I go through all of this again if it doesn’t work?

Adding to the stress, I had received a call from a nurse earlier in the cycle letting me know my specialist would be on leave. A male doctor would be performing the collection instead. Honestly, I was frustrated — I would have preferred my own specialist, and I’ve always felt more comfortable with female doctors. But after all the time and money already invested, it wasn’t an option to delay the process.

On the day of the collection, it was an early start. I left home at 5am with my mum, who kindly drove me and would later collect me. After the procedure, you need someone to pick you up, and you can’t leave recovery until they arrive. So no driving yourself!

When I arrived at the hospital, I had to pay $2,123 for the stay. Thankfully, my superannuation covered it. If you’re not planning to use super, health insurance is something to consider. It can help cover some of the costs. Also, a side note, if you want to give birth in a private hospital, having coverage is a good idea. I upgraded to BUPA Gold Comprehensive Hospital cover ($144.70 per fortnight), which will cover most costs related to childbirth. If you prefer public hospitals, the costs are usually minimal, but make sure you check what’s covered. You can find some information on this by visiting Pregnancy, Birth and Baby.

After paying, I didn’t wait long before being called into another room. I changed into a gown and answered a few questions with a nurse before being wheeled into the pre-theatre room. While waiting for the doctor, I chatted with a lovely nurse who shared that she was having her own embryo transfer that day. She was nervous — her last transfer hadn’t been successful. We wished each other luck. It felt really nice to connect with someone on the same path in that moment.

After the procedure, when I woke up in recovery, I was still groggy but fairly sure I heard a nurse say they’d collected eight eggs. That was the number I went on to repeat to a few family members later that day. I stayed in recovery for about 45 minutes, nibbling cheese and crackers (a surprisingly perfect post-op snack), before heading home.

Later that day, the lab called. It turned out they had retrieved fifteen eggs, and eleven were mature enough to fertilise. Where I got eight from, I’ll never know — maybe groggy hallucinations! Either way, I was thrilled.

The lab fertilised my eggs with donor sperm and explained they would check the next day to see how many had successfully fertilised. For those that did, they would be grown to Day 5, the Blastocyst stage, which has the best chance of successful implantation. Of course, not all eggs may fertilise — and sometimes none do.

Still, hearing that 15 eggs were retrieved and 11 were mature gave me such relief after all the stress and uncertainty. This process has so many ups and downs, but in that moment, I felt hopeful for what might come next.

📖 If you missed it, you can read my previous post about IVF Treatment and Process.
💬 Next, I’ll be sharing more about IVF Embryo Transfer.