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Egg collection is accomplished today by ultrasound-guided aspiration. This is a minor surgical procedure that can be done even under intravenous sedation. The ultrasound probe is inserted through the vagina. The probe emits high-frequency sound waves that are translated into images of the pelvic organs and displayed on a monitor, so that the mature follicles can be seen as black bubbles on the screen. The doctor guides a needle through the vagina are into each mature follicle. The follicular fluid containing the egg is then sucked out through the needle into a test tube, and all the follicles are aspirated, one by one. This is a very precise procedure, which requires considerable skill, and takes about 10-40 minutes to perform, depending upon the number of eggs. On an average, we retrieve about 4-16 eggs for each patient. If there are few eggs, many doctors will flush each follicle to ensure that each egg is retrieved.
The older method of performing egg retrieval involved a laparoscopy, and the eggs and follicular fluid were aspirated under direct vision. However, this method is rarely used today, because the vaginal-ultrasound - guided method is much quicker, easier and safer.
Fig 1. Schematic of egg collection under vaginal ultrasound guidance
© Dr. Aniruddha Malpani and Dr. Anjali Malpani www.drmalpani.com
Credits: How to Have a Baby: Overcoming Infertility
