Shari:
I had my first IVF retrieval on 10/21 and the transfer took place on 10/27. They retrieved 19 eggs and 11 fertilized. By the time the doctor did the transfer I only had 1 good embryo left and one that was fair, they transferred both. Unfortunately, neither took. I experienced a lot of abdominal pain after the retrieval, but none after the transfer. The pain lasted for a couple of days. I'm feeling as though my doctor waited too long to do the transfer. I haven't questioned him because I feel like I'm at his mercy if I want to get pregnant. Prior to IVF, I went through two years of intrauterine inseminations. I did get pregnant last year, but miscarried. I am having a difficult time dealing with depression now. It is so hard to keep the faith sometimes, but I know that I can't give up. My thoughts are with all of you who are experiencing the same. If you would like to talk, my e-mail address is: SDSzary@aol.com

Shari:
I had my retrieval this past Monday. The procedure itself was not painful at all. It was afterwards that was painful. I had 21 eggs and I was very bloated. I was in so much pain all week I could hardly even stand up straight. Today is Friday and I am still hurting, I wonder if this is normal? We got 17 embryos, so that was great news. I am have my day 5 transfer tomorrow, so if the results are as we hope, the pain from the retrieval will all be worth it :-)

Patty:
My retrieval experience wasn't as bad as I had expected. My DH and I had to be at the hospital an hour prior to the retrieval. We were taken to a room which was actually a delivery room where the nurse had my get into the hopital gown and then they had me get on the bed to get the stirrups positioned comfortably for me. Next they hooked me up with IV fluids and Valum to relax me. Shortly before the Dr. came in, the nurse started my Demeral. The Dr. and the Embryologist entered the room and before you could blink, my retrieval started. The retrieval was a bit uncomfortable(kind of painful) only when they moved the needle to a new follicle and when they swiched to the opposite ovary. I had both my dh and nurse's hand to squeeze and trust me I did!!! The drugs made me kind of groggy and the Dr. kept telling me to look at the ultrasound screen and I could see what was taking place but my eyes just could not focus. My dh was having a grand ole time witnessing everything. I had one particular follicle that was so large that it took two tubes to put all of the fluids from this one follicle into. The Dr. was amazed. Everything went very quick (approximately 15 minutes) and they retrieved 8 eggs. I was then moved to the recovery room for about an hour and I felt fine. Dr. informed us that all 8 (100%) eggs fertilized. 5 days later I had 2 blasts transfered; however they did not take, but I have 6 embies left (frozen) and will have my second transfer in the next month or so. For those of you also going through the IVF, best of luck and keep positive.

Suzette:
I have been through two retrievals. I have to admit both of them were good experiences and pretty much the same. My dh and I were told to be on the 6th floor at a certain hour. Once we were there and checked in they had me get out of my street clothes and change into the lovely hospital gown and robe. Once that was complete they took us down to the 4th floor where they do the actual retrieval at. Once there they assigned me & my dh to a room. Once in this room I would wait for the anestesiologist to come in and set up my IV. The first time I went through this the IV hurt, but the second time it wasn't that bad. Once that was done and he started my drip we had a 30 minute wait. They finally walked me into the or and my dh went to his room to do his thing for us. Once in the or the doctors and nurses positioned me and the anestesiologist gave me the happy drugs and I was out like a light. The next thing I know I am waking up in recovery. I was out of recovery in about 30 minutes and wheeled down to the 6th floor to dress and use the bathroom and for the nurses to keep an eye on me for an additional hour. When my dh got there we left. The first retrieval they got 43 eggs & 17 fertilized and 9 went to day 5 blast, the second retrieval they got 42 eggs and 39 fertilized and 3 made it to day 6 blast and 7 made it to day 5 blast. I would have to say that it was a good experience both times, but the doctors and nurses are the ones that make the difference for me and they were wonderful!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wynette:
My experience during retrieval was not so bad. I was put to sleep, and the only pain I felt was a stomach ache when I woke up. 5 follicles were retrieved and 3 fertilized. They were all transfered 4 days later, but none took. Everyone says I'm young (29) it'll workout however, in as much as my body does not feel like it has been affected very much by the whole experience, my mind is a whole other story. Anyway good look to everyone out there keep your spirits up.

Alouise:
Well this was part of the IVF that I was dreading, but it wasn't at all that bad, in fact it was quite exciting. Once I heard them say 1 egg, I was relieved. After telling myself not to get too worked up 17 were retrieved and 14 fertilized. We had two embryos put back, and one took. Our little baby girl was born and she is just about to celebrate her 3rd Birthday.

Sandy:
Geez, my experience was nothing but good. I'm almost afraid to write it. My husband and I showed up an hour before. My doctor is on the third floor, they took my husband and I to the second floor where they do the IVF procedure. Hooked me up to great drugs (not sure what they were). No pain at all. They retrieved 17 eggs, 14 made it, 11 made it to embryos. They implanted three and one made it. My son just turned one yesterday. I am now in the process of doing a FET. My transfer is tomorrow. They are doing a blast cycle and I'm really excited.

Mary Ann:
My experience took place at Toronto General Hospital in Ontario, Canada. Was given Atavan to calm my nerves as I cried when they couldn't get the IV into my vein. Then was given Gravol through the IV and then Morphine also through the IV. Boy was I high. I had brought a little eye pillow I use for relaxation (cloth filled with flax seeds). I had the nurse put that over my eyes so everything was blacked out and I couldn't see a thing. The mere sight of a needle makes my whole body tense up. The doctor placed a speculum inside me and washed my cervix, then the hardest part was the needle inserting into my vagina to freeze the cervical area. After that I hardly felt a thing. A minor prick when they moved the needle around to get at different follicles. Because I had the eye pillow on I didn't see a thing. Because I was so stoned I hardly remember much. It all seemed over in a blink of an eye. My DH had been out "contributing" when they started the procedure. At one point I felt he was in the room and lifted my eye pillow to see him standing there beside me. Quiet, wearing a hospital gown, with great concern on his face. He hates to see me in pain. I think I said something nice to him like "Honey, there you are! You're the best honey in the whole wide world" which made the nurses laugh. They retrieved 10 eggs in total, then removed the speculum and had me sashay onto another stretcher to be wheeled into recovery. I think I was asleep before I was out of the procedure room. Woke up (about an hour later DH said) having to go to the bathroom. DH was sitting on a chair beside my bed reading. The nurse had me change into my street clothes after I came out of the washroom. DH escorted me (walking like a drunken idiot) out the hospital and to the car. It was a short drive home then another stumble up the house steps and into bed. Back into a deep deep sleep. At one point hours later DH woke me up to check on me and I said "Have I been to the hospital yet?" The next day felt fine enough to go to work. Didn't have any post procedural bleeding.

James:
My wife Sue, and I, had a bad experience. It was our first IVF treatment but we'd been through two IUI treatments so the environment was familiar. Sue was nervous and needed to go to the toilet twice before the start but that wasn't unusual. Sue was given drugs that would dull the pain but still mean she could be instructed to move and cooperate with the procedure. These particular drugs would mean that she would have very little recollection of the procedure. Throughout the procedure she had very intense pain every time the needle was repositioned. Sometimes she appeared to be almost asleep before being racked with pain shooting through her. The staff were concerned but didn't seem to think it was abnormal. 10 eggs were recovered. As soon as Sue was moved to recovery she began being hit with very painful attacks every 10 minutes despite being given powerful drugs to control the pain. The attacks would last two minutes. The staff were convinced there was nothing wrong and even performed another scan in recovery which just showed a full bladder which they emptied. They put it down to cramps. Sue has a high pain threshold and so I know she was suffering, but the staff seemed to think otherwise and that she should just hold on. After two hours and with Sue shouting for help she was admitted, and the attacks continued, although spaced out a little more, for another three hours. Then there was a gap when Sue slept and we thought it was over but going to the toilet triggered one last attack at 5pm. Then it was an overnight stay for observation before being discharged at 10am the following day. The IVF staff claim this was an abnormal experience and that Sue's anxiety must have watered-down the drugs. We were urged to address the anxiety before we try IVF again. We have had counseling since and the councilor actually agreed with us that pain is pain and that there must be a better medical explanation.

Jane:
Well, I can't say my retrieval experiences have been as smooth as some described so far. I've had 5 retrievals and all were uncomfortable. I'd say 3 rose to the level of painful. They've tried different drugs to relax me, but I'm always very coherent and feel quite normal. The drugs make me nauseous, so I always get gravol too. Two time out of five I haven't thrown up. The retieval itself last 20 to 30 minutes, depending on how many and location of follicles (I've had two people pushing on me abs, to get that last stubborn follicle). My hubby is by my side, letting me squeeze his hand. I also concentrate on my breathing to try to stay relaxed, especially my back which just doesn't seem to want to stay on the table! I just keep thinking that labour will be a whole lot worse and that seems to get me through. I usually rest that day, but I'm back to normal activities with just a bit of discomfort the next day. Looking forward to retrieval #6 in the spring!

Krista:
I was only in the surgery center for about 30 minutes (by DH's estimate). I spent about 10 minutes asleep in the recovery room, and then I was up and ready to go! There was some bleeding, but that is entirely normal. They were able to retrieve 17 eggs. Afterwards, I was feeling good enough to stop at one of my favorite restaurants and pick up lunch to go! I was starving, since I hadn't eaten since Thursday night. My ovaries were kind of sore for the rest of the day, but no more so than they had been while taking Gonal-F. I was prescribed doxycycline (antibiotic), Medrol (steriod that makes the uterus less "hostile"), and Darvocet (pain killer). I took two of the Darvocets the day of retrieval, but not the second day. The soreness was quickly fading. I had my first progesterone injection that evening, and it hurt! With the HCG, I hadn't felt a thing. The progesterone injections hurt less and less now... 15 of the 17 eggs fertilized, two were transferred (blasts), and 3 were cryo (blasts).

Doris:
36 Hours after the trigger shot and with my last meal at 11 midnight before my retrieval hour, I was nervous both times I have had the Retrieval. Having to be there an hour before the procedure, when the door to the theatre swung open, I was so relieved and excited to start. Lucky my DH was there to hold my hand. Soapless, shampoo, nail polish, underarm, make-up and perfume-free, I felt naked. No chemicals or the embies would die. I was told not to be near any chemicals esp. toilet cleaners. I told the anaesthethist that I was allergic to pennicillin and being an expert on IV, told him only 1 arm gave blood as all my veins are sunken. He didn't believe me so he poked around a bit and then walla!!! the needle went in, just where I said so!!! My RE asked me what my profession was and before I could answer, I passed out. First IVF, my legs were folded back and was relaxed on the operating table. That was convenient and absolutely painless. The nurses woke up after an hour with news of my 16 embryos of good quality at 42 years old - they said I had the uterus of a 26 year old (with a bit of discomfort on my belly and they gave me a microwaved bean bag). I then ate some sandwiches and went back to sleep - sitting up on the bed for 2 hours. DH woke me up when it was time to go home with flowers and a box of Belgian Chocolates!!! I was put on progesterone pessaries and antibiotics for the next few days. I rested for 3 days and resumed normal activities after, got pg but miscarried at 5.5 weeks. 2nd IVF, my legs were on stir-ups which was hanging your foot on loops..the most uncomfortable position in my whole life!!! Nurses woke me up with news of 12 embies, fair quality. I had cramps on my belly and slept most of the afternoon for 4 hours, in between Blood Pressure & pulse checks. I woke up with nurses changing my pads as I was bleeding heavily. When I got up to get dressed later, I saw I was lying in a pool of blood. I was also nauseous and they put me on the drip for 1 hour. I think the anaesthetics put into me was too strong that it really knocked me about. When I was finally up, got dressed but I was still nauseous. The nurses wanted to put me again on the drip for another hour....I refused this as I thought that I would OD on meds and I did not think that it would be good for the embies. They only released me on the condition that I return ASAP if I was reallt feeling crook. Thank God I didn't have to. No antibiotics, no progesterone pessaries but had HCG shots. This resulted in a negative pg!!! Am moving on to another IVF attempt after 2 failed FETs.

Melissa:
I've gone through 2 retrievals. Both were pretty much the same. I got on the gurney and they started an IV. Then my husband and I were left there for quite a while (30 min. or so). The consequence of that was that I had to pee twice because off all the saline that was bing dripped into me! Quite a production with the IV and all. Then they got ready to start. The first time, the anesthesiologist put something in right away to relax me. That was great. The second time, they waited until I was just about to be wheeled into the OR and gave me something slightly stronger than the first time. In both cases, I was relaxed and actually pretty happy as I was wheeled in (aren't drugs great?). They put heated blankets on me which was nice. Then they explained what would happen, put the general in my IV - and whoosh! That was it. In both cases the retrieval took about 20 minutes but of course it feels like one second to you. Both times I woke up in recovery feeling OK if a little shaky. I didn't really even have any grogginess from the anesthesia. They made me stay in bed for a while and then made me pee. Essentially once you can get up and pee you are free to leave. Once home I felt kind of out of it, and had some pronounced soreness in my abdomen and some cramping and spotting (very light). I took the prescribed painkillers and slept most of the day. I had ZIFT (which I'm not doing this time), so the next morning it was off to the clinic again for a laparoscopy! (tubal embryo transfer) One thing to keep in mind - the first time we went, they made me take off all my jewellry - wedding rings, watch, etc. They put everything in a baggie for us, but somehow in the confusion they and my husband lost track of it! It FINALLY got found, I forget where, but that was one stress I definitely didn't need. I was actually put under that time not knowing whether my wedding rings were lost forever! So you may want to arrive at your egg retrieval jewellry-free. Good luck and +++++ thoughts to all.

Kelly:
I have only had one retrieval but we are getting ready for round two. I had a good experience with the retrieval. My husband was with me until I went into the OR. I was given meds to make me sleepy and the next thing I know they are telling me how many eggs they got(15) and then I went into the recovery area where my husband was waiting. It took me about a half hour or so until I could get up and go to the bathroom. After that I went home and rested for two days. Three days after retrieval they did the transfer and hubby was with me for that procedure. A good experience overall.

Sue:
I've had 2 retrievals so far, the 2nd was worse than the 1st, which was a lesson in how important it is to stay in shape! I was put to sleep both times. One of the bad things was getting cold while waiting on the stretcher to be wheeled into the operating room -- just ask for blankets! The retrievals themselves were done in like the blink of an eye, one second they were putting the anesthetic into the IV line, the next second I was waking up in the recovery room. The worst parts for me were the painkillers they gave afterwords -- I guess I'm sensitive to painkillers because both times they made me nauseous. The 2nd time I told the anesthetist about this and so he gave me a different pill to take but I think this pill made me even sicker -- I had to stay in the hospital for 8 hours because I couldn't get out of bed to go to the bathroom. Finally they gave me a shot for the nausea and I could go home, but after 8 hours in an uncomfortable hospital bed I now had bedsores (sore, crampy muscles). Compared to the nausea, the feeling like my ovaries had been torn open was nothing. But again, I wasn't as in good overall physical condition for the 2nd retrieval and I think this made a big difference. Another lady next to me was in and out in a couple of hours. So you never know -- just in case, be prepared to take the next day off of work.

Darlene:
I've had two retreivals so far, and the first one was far worse than the second. As soon as my DH and I walked in the office, they split us up, he went to give his sample and I went in a little room where I undressed and waited for the nurse to put in the IV and go over things with me. It was really scary, since my DH wasn't with me and this was the first time I've ever gone thru anything like this. After about 15 minutes, I went into the procedure room and laid down while the nurse set everything up for the procedure. When my doctor walked in, he propped himself up on the counter by the CD player and asked what CD I wanted to hear, then rattled off a few CD titles. (I had a very young doctor at the time). Once they added the drugs to the IV, I really don't remember too much. I did feel a few tight pinches, but nothing too bad. I rested afterward for about an hour with my DH finally by my side then went home. The retreival was almost painless. I slept for most of the day and after the drugs finally wore off, the pain was horrible. I could barely stand up straight because my whole pelvic area was just sore. I did finally get to my bedroom to sleep for the night. I woke up about an hour later and forget that I had to take my P4. I crawled out of bed, went downstairs to read my instructions again - because I wasn't sure - then headed upstairs to take the P4. On my way back up the stairs to the bathroom, I began to feel as though I were gonna pass out. I sat down on the couch for a minute, then got up, felt dizzy again, sat down on the stairs, got up again, headed towards my bedroom and finally passed out. My DH slept thru the whole ordeal. I woke up a few minutes later (it seemed as if I were out for over an hour) and finally made it to the bed. After I laid in bad for a while, I finally got up again to take the P4. I'm not really sure why I passed out, but for how much pain I was in for the next two days, I think it may have just been from the pain. My second retreival was not as bad. My pelvic area was sore for a few days after, but no dizzy spells.

JoAnn:
My experience was a ggod one. It was done in my RE IVF area. They first gave me a shot of valume to calm me. Then they hooked up an IV . I walked myself to the table. They put headsets on me of my CD I brought. I was very relaxed. They gave me Demerol which put me in a daze. I remember them counting the eggs. I don't remember anything past 14. I was out of it, or I should say I did not have a care in the world. They took 38 eggs from me. It was a little longer then most retrievals. I woke up, and within an hour I could go home. I slept it off the remainder of the day. 16 of my eggs fertilized, 6 made it to day 5. We put 2 back in on day 5. Although it was a good experience, I M/C at 7 weeks. We are scheduled to do it again during the week of Nov. 29.

Cherylynn:
I've had two retrievals so far and both were more uncomfortable than painful. I was told to arrive an hour before the proceudre and an an IV of glucose was started in my left hand. I was just very nervous both times but as soon as they started the meds to relax me I was fine. Out of it actually. It took me a long time to come around after the procedures both times. I was very very sore for about 4 days after each retrieval, felt like the worst cramps ever. Anyways, the nurses were wonderful, very nice and gentile. For me it wasn't as bad as I had anticipated.

Marlene:
My retrieval was in the hospital. The hospital paid for our hotel room the prior night so we would be close to the hospital the next morning. My dh and I checked in early 8 a.m. Where I was taken to the labor/maternity room. A nurse started my IV (which is always the worse for me, my veins move). I spoke with my doctor who explained the procedure to me (again) and within a 30 minute time frame I was taken to the surgery room for my retrieval (sleeping like a baby). My dh was taken to the lab (while they were doing my retrieval) where he...well we know what he did for the sperm! Anyway, I was taken back to the labor/maternity room where I stayed there for approximately 1 1/2 hours. The doctor came in to see me when I was coherent enough to understand him. He gave us the result which was 16 eggs retrieved, and explained that the office would be calling me the next day to give us the fertilization results. My dh took me home and I slept for most of the day. I was somewhat sore from the procedure. My lower pelvis hurt. I started progesterone (vagina suppositories) that evening and took what I understood to be a form of steroid for 4 days. Fortunately for me...my experience was a good one, I think due to the fact that I chose to be put asleep.

JanetV:
My retrieval experience was very short and relatively painless. We met with the RE to review our file, and then he took us down to the retrieval room. DH and I then met with the anestheatist (sp??) for a quick health history. We were then left alone briefly so I could strip from the waist down and sit on u/s table with cover. Then the anesthatist started an IV in my hand and put a blood pressure/pulse monitor on my finger. The meds were started right away. They made me feel more relaxed (I was very anxious before). The RE then started the u/s and retrieval, with u/s tech assisting. I only had 3 follicles to retrieve, so it was a very short session. Only the last follicle was painful when it was drained, but it was not full sized. I also had been taking 2 different kinds of oral antibiotics from 2 days before, and continued for 2 days after. That's it. They removed the IV and monitor and I was done. They recommended I go for a juice and food before going too far. I did feel quite woosy and "stupid" afterwards. You definitely need to let your DH drive home. Actually, you are not allowed to drive for the rest of the day. I've had menstrual cramps much worse than anything I experience that day in retrieval.