Ovulation

Every month, during the natural menstrual cycle, an egg is released from the ovary during ovulation.

In in vitro fertilization, the patient receives hormonal ovarian stimulation treatment to promote the maturation of as many eggs as possible.

In order to collect these eggs for laboratory fertilization, it is essential to collect them before their spontaneous release from the ovary, which would make them impossible to locate.

Therefore, the egg retrieval must be performed just before natural ovulation. Thus, in order to collect the eggs while they are in meiotic instability (metaphase II), it is essential to schedule the puncture at the appropriate time.

Oocyte collection

The retrieval of oocytes, also known as an ovarian puncture or follicular puncture, is the final step of ovarian stimulation. On that day, you will be expected at our day hospital where we will prepare you for the procedure.

The retrieval takes place in our operating room, which is adjacent to our fertility laboratory. In most cases, the retrieval is performed under local anesthesia and through the vaginal route, under ultrasound guidance. It is a short procedure, usually less than 30 minutes.

The egg retrieval takes place at a specific moment after the induction of ovulation, which allows the resumption of the maturation of the egg in the follicle.