How are eggs collected in IVF, and what happens to them in the laboratory?
Eggs are collected in a short procedure called OPU (egg retrieval), done under light anaesthesia so the woman sleeps comfortably. Guided by the ultrasound scan, a needle enters each follicle and drains its fluid into a test tube. In the laboratory, the embryologist finds the eggs in this fluid under a microscope and places them in an incubator.
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This video is in Konkani; the guide on this page is in English.
Egg collection day is a big day in IVF, and many women wonder about it: what is the needle like, will I be awake, and what happens to my eggs afterwards? This video was filmed on an IVF day. In just under six minutes, our doctor shows the egg-collection needle in the operation theatre, explains the ultrasound screen while eggs are being collected, and then takes you into the embryology laboratory.
What is egg collection (OPU)?
Egg collection, which doctors call OPU or egg retrieval, is the step of IVF in which the eggs are taken out of the ovaries. It comes after the daily stimulation injections, which help several eggs grow in the same cycle, and the trigger injection, which completes their final ripening. The trigger is timed to the hour, because egg collection is planned for about a day and a half later (about 34 to 36 hours).
How many injections come before this day is explained in how many injections one IVF cycle needs, and the whole cycle in the IVF timeline.
Why does the egg-collection needle look so long?
In the operation theatre, our doctor holds up the needle used for egg collection. It certainly looks long, he says, but it is used gently and in a controlled way: it is used in a controlled way, under the guidance of the ultrasound scan.
The needle is guided by a vaginal scan, and there are no cuts and no stitches. The fluid drawn out through the needle is collected in test tubes, which go to the laboratory.
What do you see on the scan screen during egg collection?
The second part of the video shows the ultrasound screen during an egg collection. Part of the screen is kept covered, to protect the patient's privacy. Here is what to look for:
- The black round spaces are the follicles, the small fluid-filled sacs in the ovary. In the video they are simply called eggs, because each one holds an egg. The egg itself is far too small to see on ultrasound; it is inside this fluid.
- The silver line that moves forward on the screen is the needle.
- One follicle after another: the needle is passed into the centre of each follicle, and the fluid inside it, which looks black on the screen, is drained out.
Are you awake during egg collection?
No. Egg collection is done under light anaesthesia. As our doctor explains while the scan is running, the woman is given anaesthesia, so she is comfortable and asleep while the eggs are collected.
It is a short day-care procedure. You need to be fasting, the collection takes around a quarter of an hour, and after a few hours of observation you go home the same day.
How does the laboratory find the eggs?
Once the egg collection is over, our doctor takes you into the embryology laboratory, where the embryologist works with the eggs. The test tubes from the theatre hold the fluid from the follicles, called follicular fluid, and the first job is to search it for eggs. This step is called screening.
- The embryologist looks through the fluid under a microscope to find the eggs.
- In the right hand, the embryologist holds a pipette, a fine dropper, and picks up the eggs one by one.
- The eggs are placed in small Petri dishes, and the dishes go into a large machine, the incubator, where they are kept for the next step.
How are the eggs fertilised?
Fertilisation means bringing the eggs together with the husband's sperm. On the day of egg collection the husband gives a semen sample, which is prepared in the laboratory. The eggs and sperm are then brought together by standard IVF, or by ICSI, where a single sperm is injected into each egg when the sperm need extra help.
What is ICSI, and when is it needed?
ICSI stands for intracytoplasmic sperm injection. In ICSI, the embryologist injects one selected sperm into each mature egg. Our doctor explains that the ICSI machine is used, for example, when the husband's sperm count is low.
In the video he shows the ICSI station: a special microscope fitted with very fine tools.
- A micro-pipette holds the egg steady.
- A micro-injection needle carries the sperm into the egg; this is how the sperm is placed for fertilisation.
Why ICSI is so often advised when the count is low is explained in IVF with ICSI for a low sperm count.
What happens after the egg collection day?
The next morning the embryologist checks which eggs have fertilised, then watches the embryos grow over the following days and how the embryos are growing. The transfer is planned on day three or, where possible, on day five, the blastocyst stage. Sometimes it is wiser not to transfer in the same cycle; good embryos are then frozen and transferred later. What to do once the embryo is placed is covered in precautions after embryo transfer.
Does egg collection have any risks?
Like any medical procedure, it has some. Mild cramps and light spotting for a day or two are normal. Rarely, there can be bleeding or infection after egg collection, or an over-reaction of the ovaries to the medicines (OHSS), which can show up in the days after collection.
After egg collection, contact your treating team straight away if you have tummy pain that is getting worse, heavy bleeding or fever, feel very bloated or short of breath, or pass much less urine than usual.
How can a couple plan for egg collection day?
- The trigger: take it exactly at the time you are given; set an alarm.
- Be fasting for the collection.
- The husband needs to be available that day to give his sample.
- Time off: plan to take the egg collection day off, and perhaps the next day.
- Dates: the trigger and collection dates depend on your scans, so they are known only a few days ahead.
About this guide
This guide is by the Pai Hospital Team. Pai Hospital, at Vaddem, Vasco-da-Gama, Goa, has its own operating theatre and its own IVF laboratory in the same building, so the egg collection and the laboratory work are handled by one team. As our doctor says at the end of the video, it was made for your education.
Fertility treatment at the hospital is described on our fertility and IVF treatment page, what one IVF cycle includes on the IVF cost page, and IUI on our IUI treatment page. More of our doctor's talks in Konkani are on our Konkani fertility videos page.
This article is for education only and is not personal medical advice; please speak to your own doctor about your situation.
Your questions
How long does egg collection take?
Around a quarter of an hour. It is a short day-care procedure: you need to be fasting, it is done under light anaesthesia, and after a few hours of observation you go home the same day.
Will I be awake during egg collection?
No. Egg collection is done under light anaesthesia, so you are asleep and comfortable while the eggs are collected.
Are there any cuts or stitches?
No. The needle is guided by a vaginal ultrasound scan, and there are no cuts and no stitches.
What are the black circles on the scan screen?
They are the follicles, the small fluid-filled sacs in the ovary that hold the eggs. The egg itself is far too small to see on ultrasound, so the fluid from each follicle is drained and searched for the egg in the laboratory.
How are the eggs found after collection?
The fluid from the follicles goes to the embryology laboratory in test tubes. The embryologist searches it under a microscope, a step called screening, picks up the eggs one by one with a pipette and places them in dishes, which are kept in an incubator.
What is ICSI, and when is it used?
ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection) means the embryologist injects one selected sperm into each mature egg, using a special microscope with very fine needles. It is used, for example, when the husband's sperm count is low.
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This page is for general education and is not personal medical advice. Treatment depends on your own examination and reports, so please speak to a doctor about your situation. We do not carry out or offer sex determination of any kind.