And the day of the follicular puncture arrives and the nerves of how it will come out, a… »What will it be like?», «Will it hurt?». To answer all these questions, and try to help you to go to the appointment as relaxed as possible, we wanted it to be Sonia Sahuquillo, nurse at IVI Valencia, the one that tells you and explains how your stay in the clinic will be when you come to get the puncture.
From our experience, we know that egg retrieval, also known as follicular puncture or oocyte puncture, is one of the processes that generates the greatest concern and doubts.
It is normal that you are nervous at this time, not only because for many of you it will be the first time you enter an operating room, but because it is a very important step to achieve your goal, whether it is to obtain eggs for donation or to vitrify them. and preserve fertility or for fertilization and subsequent pregnancy.
I am going to explain how it is and what happens step by step the day you go to the clinic for it to be carried out to try to solve and alleviate the doubts you have.
Admission on the day of Follicular Puncture
Admission to the center takes place the same day as the intervention, half an hour before and accompanied by another person.
Once in your room, the nursing team will solve any doubts you may have.
It is essential for the puncture to be carried out properly that:
- 34-36 hours before its completion, at the exact time that we indicate in the instructions prior to the puncture, you have correctly administered the medication responsible for the final maturation of the ovules.
- You are fasting before 8 hours.
When the time comes, we will accompany you to the operating room.
How is Follicular Puncture performed?
Normally the oocyte puncture is performed under sedation.
The anesthetist will inject you intravenously with a medication of immediate and short-term effect, which will make you not aware of the process that is being carried out and, consequently, you will not have any type of pain or discomfort, but at all times you will breathe by yourselves.
Once they are asleep, the gynecologist will proceed to perform the follicular puncture. In this video you can see graphically how it is done.
It is a procedure that is performed vaginally under ultrasound control; The same vaginal probe that is used to perform ultrasound checks, has a built-in guide through which the aspiration needle is inserted and, through the wall of the vagina, the gynecologist accesses the ovaries, punctures each follicle and aspirates the follicular fluid where the oocytes are. This liquid goes directly to the test tubes and they are transferred to the laboratory.
This procedure takes approximately 15-20 minutes.
What happens after completing the Follicular Puncture?
Once finished, we will transfer you back to your room, where you will stay for an hour and a half or 2 hours until you have fully recovered from sedation, being supervised by the nursing team at all times.
Before leaving, the gynecologist will inform you of the oocytes that have been obtained in the puncture and, the next day, the embryologists will inform you of the number of oocytes that have been mature and, in the case of In Vitro Fertilization, of the number of oocytes that have been fertilized.
He will also explain and give you the instructions that you must follow after the collection of the eggs.
How will you feel after Follicular Puncture?
Many of you ask us how you are going to feel after the puncture and if you are going to be able to go to work.
During your stay at the clinic, we will administer medication to prevent you from having pain or any kind of discomfort.
Later, during the 2 or 3 days following the intervention, you can present:
- Menstrual type abdominal discomfort.
- Small vaginal bleeding.
- Mild bloating.
These are annoyances that usually will not interfere with the performance of your activities of daily life, not being necessary a complete rest. Therefore, you can lead a normal life, avoiding major physical efforts or violent exercises.
Tell them to be calm, that the collection of the ovules is a safe procedure and well tolerated by most of you.
The IVI clinics have a highly qualified multidisciplinary team, with a long history in the field of reproductive medicine, that we will be accompanying you throughout the process, solving your doubts, ensuring your well-being and helping you at all times to achieve your goal.
