Knowing what to expect from your egg retrieval recovery can help you be aware of the symptoms you may feel and what you can do to address them.
After your egg retrieval recovery, you can continue on your surrogacy journey of growing your family and living out your dream of becoming a parent.
Reach out to us to become active with our agency while preparing for your egg retrieval. Although you can’t be matched until you have embryos created, we can provide you with options of reputable fertility clinics you can choose to continue this journey of becoming a parent.
What Will I Feel During Egg Retrieval Recovery?
The egg retrieval surgery is minimally invasive and has a short recovery time. Examples of symptoms you may experience during your recovery after egg retrieval can include:
Bloating Mild soreness Cramping Spotting
Any of the symptoms above can be normal and are often experienced after egg retrieval. More serious symptoms can be things like:
- Trouble eating or drinking
- Vomiting
- Intense pain
- Severe bloating
Call your doctor if you experience any of these symptoms after egg retrieval.
5 Tips for Egg Retrieval Surgery Recovery
Now that you know what to do immediately following your egg retrieval as well as some of the symptoms you could experience, here are some more tips for your IVF egg retrieval recovery:
Step 1: Relax
Your immediate post-egg retrieval recovery should include a driver to take you home from the fertility clinic.
Then, you can plan on taking it easy for the remainder of the day. You can return to work as soon as the next day barring any complications from the surgery, but take all the time needed to fully recover.
Step 2: Be Prepared for Pain Management
Over-the-counter pain relievers can address the symptoms you may experience during your egg retrieval recovery time. But if the symptoms are or become excessive, contact your doctor.
Step 3: Watch Out for OHSS
Injectable fertility medications for your surrogacy journey can put you at risk of developing ovarian hyper stimulation syndrome (OHSS). OHSS happens when fluid from the follicles leaks and collects in your abdomen and pelvis.
OHSS can occur during your egg retrieval recovery period and can be mild or severe in some cases. Symptoms to watch out for include:
Significant swelling Nausea/vomiting Sudden weight gain Shortness of breath
Experiencing any of these symptoms during post-egg retrieval recovery is a sign to call your doctor.
Step 4: Be Prepared for Constipation
The extra progesterone in your body, narcotic pain medications and decreased movement during your egg retrieval recovery time can all result in constipation.
You can manage this through hydrating, increasing your fiber intake or stool softeners.
Step 5: Expect a Heavier Period than Normal
During your recovery from egg retrieval, a heavier period may follow. Similar to how the fertility medications used for egg retrieval can cause constipation, they can cause a heavier than normal period after as well.
Higher amounts of hormones paired with a thicker uterine wall can mean a heavier flow and more cramps.
How Long Does It Take To Recover From Egg Retrieval?
The recovery time for egg retrieval is usually short, as it’s an outpatient procedure done under monitored anesthesia care.
This differs from general anesthesia in terms of not needing to intubate you and having a much faster recovery time. The surgery itself typically takes just 15-30 minutes from when you are administered anesthesia to the procedure being complete.
Egg retrieval recovery can be as short as a day or as long as a week if you develop OHSS after your trigger shot.
Next Steps After Egg Retrieval
The egg retrieval is one step in a longer process toward building a family. We’ve created guides about some of the next steps in the medical process, like:
If you have any more questions about your surrogacy journey, from finding a clinic where you can create your embryos to being matched with the perfect surrogate, reach out to us.