Egg Retrieval

According to Dr. Randy S. Morris – founder and Medical Director of IVF1 – retrieving up to 15 eggs from a woman’s ovaries in a single In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) cycle will give her the best chances of a successful pregnancy and birth. Retrieving more than 15 eggs during a single IVF cycle raises the risk of complications from Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (OHSS). OHSS is an occasional side effect caused by ovarian stimulating fertility medications.

"My review of studies examining the correlation between the number of eggs retrieved and the number of live births, I have found that there is an increase in live birth rates in cases where up to 15 eggs were retrieved in a single IVF cycle. Beyond 15 eggs, pregnancy rates level off and then decline at 20 or more." –Dr. Randy S. Morris

A Successful Egg Retrieval

In order to make a determination about dosages of ovarian stimulating fertility medications, Dr. Morris implements a mathematical graph – a nomogram – to indicate the relationship between:

• A woman’s age
• The number of eggs retrieved, and
• The predicated pregnancy rate

The nomogram helps both doctor and patient make decisions about the dosages of ovarian stimulating medications required to achieve the optimum number of eggs for a successful pregnancy. Basically, the nomogram is a state-of-the-art method of measuring a woman’s ovarian reserve in order to prescribe the optimum amount of medications for the production of 15 eggs in a safe and effective manner.

Dr. Morris cautions patients that the number of retrieved eggs is merely an indication of her ovarian reserve – her current level of ovarian function – it is not the amount of eggs she can produce in any given single IVF cycle.

Egg Retrieval Procedure

After undergoing a prescribed regiment of ovarian stimulating medications, the doctor will determine through blood level testing and pelvic sonograms the prime time for triggering the patient’s ovulation prior to the egg retrieval.

• An injection of hCG is administered to trigger ovulation
• The eggs are retrieved 36 hours after the hCG injection
• The egg retrieval process is performed while the patient is under anesthesia
• The eggs are matured in a petri dish with specialized media
• Once mature, the each individual egg is injected with a single sperm – intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI)
• The fertilized eggs are cultured for several days to allow for embryo development

While waiting for the embryos to develop, the woman is administered hormones to prepare her uterine lining for implantation with estrogen and progesterone. After the embryos reach an optimal stage of development, the doctor selects the quality embryo or embryos to be transferred into the woman’s uterus. The transfer is performed with a small catheter in a procedure similar to that of a Pap smear. The embryo transfer procedure does not require anesthesia.

To discover more information about Dr. Morris’s success with the common egg retrieval procedure and IVF, click below to schedule a consultation or call 630.357.6540.