How are my eggs collected for in vitro fertilization?
To get eggs out of the ovary, you first have to get to the ovary. So, the first method that was used to do this was laparoscopy. Laparoscopy was brand new in the 1970's and was thought to be a much less traumatic way of getting into the abdomen (which is where the ovaries are located) than actually open the abdomen up with a laparotomy incision. Imagine if we have to make an incision in the abdomen every time we were trying to get eggs out; that will be very difficult. So, laparoscopy was used first by the late 1980's about 20 years ago. Ultrasound technology is getting much better and we were able to visualize the ovary and visualize the follicles by the use of this non invasive technology. So, now virtually every egg retrieval procedure in the world that takes place is done under ultrasound guidance. The simplest way to do this is to use transvaginal ultrasound probe which is used to visualise the ovary and then attached to that probe is a needle guide. The needle then can be guided under direct ultrasound visualisation into the follicle and the follicular fluid, and the egg can be retrieved. When transvaginal ultrasound guided follicle aspiration for egg retrieval was first developed (which was done in Europe), they did not use any anaesthesia for this because the discomfort was thought to be fairly mild. However, of course this is long gone; we use local anaesthesia for dental procedures and we also use anaesthesia or at least some type of a sedation for the egg retrieval process, so its quiet painless and the patient does not feel anything.
