Stages of an Egg Retrieval: From Preparation to the Lab

For many patients, the egg retrieval marks one of the most exciting milestones in an IVF journey. It’s the moment when weeks of preparation, stimulation, and careful monitoring come together, and it’s the very first step toward creating new life in the lab.
But what really happens behind the scenes? Let’s take a closer look at each stage of the egg retrieval process.

Getting Ready

Before a patient even arrives in the operating room, a whole team is already working to make sure everything runs smoothly.
The anesthesiologist carefully prepares by checking oxygen flow, calibrating the machines, and setting up IV medication for gentle and safe sedation.
The nursing team and assistants sterilize the room, connect tubing, and lay out instruments in perfect order.
In the lab, the embryologist warms collection tubes, calibrates the incubators, and readies the microscope to receive eggs the moment they arrive.
Finally, the gynecologist scrubs in, fully focused, hands washed and gown on, ready to begin.
Every step of this preparation is about safety, precision, and creating the best possible environment for success.

Watch the preparation step here

The Retrieval Itself

Once the patient is comfortably asleep under anesthesia, the retrieval begins.
Guided by an ultrasound probe, the gynecologist gently advances a fine needle through the vaginal wall into each ovarian follicle. Inside every follicle is a small droplet of fluid - and possibly an egg. The fluid is aspirated and travels through sterile tubing into a warm collection tube, where conditions are carefully maintained to protect the egg’s viability.
Immediately, the nurses pass each tube directly to the embryologist waiting in the lab. There, under the microscope, the embryologist examines the fluid in real time, drop by drop, searching for eggs as they appear.

Watch the retrival here

Precise work in the lab

Once retrieved, the eggs are taken through a process known as decumulation, where the embryologist gently washes them and removes the surrounding cumulus cells. This allows them to identify the mature oocytes under the microscope - the eggs ready for the next step.

Watch the laboratory work here

From here, the journey can take different paths depending on the treatment plan:

• Cryopreservation (Egg Freezing): Some eggs are frozen immediately and stored safely for future use
• Conventional IVF: Eggs are placed in a culture dish with thousands of sperm, allowing fertilization to occur “naturally” in the lab.
• ICSI (Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection): A single sperm is injected directly into an egg to maximize fertilization chances.

A Moment of Hope

Though the egg retrieval itself takes only 20–30 minutes, it represents so much more. It’s the bridge between preparation and possibility, between science and hope. At Reproclinic, our team of gynecologists, anesthesiologists, nurses, and embryologists all work seamlessly together, ensuring that every egg is handled with the greatest care.
For our patients, this is a big step toward their dream of parenthood. And for us, it’s a privilege to walk alongside them.