Bluegrass Fertility Center-Preoperative instructions for IVF patients
Please read the following instructions carefully. Call the office and speak with the nursing staff if you have questions.
Your HCG injection (Novarel) will be given on ______________ at ________________ . It is critical that this injection be given at the exact time instructed.
Your egg retrieval is scheduled for ________________________ at ____________________.
Have nothing to eat or drink after midnight the day before your surgery. If you need to contact Bluegrass Fertility Center on your retrieval day, please call 859-543-8626. Arrive at Bluegrass Fertility Center on Palumbo Drive thirty minutes prior to the scheduled time. If we are non par with your insurance you will need to pay the anesthesia fee of $350.00 at this time. Please bring a check or money order with you. You may wear make up and nail polish if you like. We do suggest comfortable clothing. After admission you will be escorted to the pre-op area where you will change into a gown and have an IV started. The anesthesiologist will see you regarding your sedation. The egg retrieval will take approximately forty-five minutes. Your partner will be sent to the collection room during the procedure. We will have a preliminary egg count when you awaken although it will be the following day before fertilization status is known. Our laboratory staff will contact you daily with a report and will schedule your embryo transfer which will be three days after the egg retrieval. You will be transported to the recovery area for approximately forty-five minutes after which you will be discharged home with verbal and written instructions. After the procedure you may experience vaginal spotting, abdominal cramping and tenderness. This is normal and usually resolves with pain medication and rest. You may resume activity and diet as tolerated although we do advise you to plan on being home this day. Most patients will resume normal activities the next day. Follow the enclosed medication schedule for your retrieval day.
Call the office if you experience any of the following symptoms:
- Weight gain of five pounds above your baseline weight
- Heavy vaginal bleeding
- Shortness of breath
- Difficulty urinating
- Severe pain that is not relieved with pain medication
- Chills or fainting
- Temperature greater than 100.4 degrees
Andrology Instructions for Males
- Abstain from ejaculation for at least two or three days but no more than five prior to the collection of semen for an IVF cycle.
- Avoid sitting in hot tubs, saunas, and tanning beds prior to and during infertility treatment.
- Drugs, alcohol and cigarette smoking should be minimized.
- Take Tylenol or Advil if you have a fever. Any rise in body temperature can affect sperm quality.
- Avoid exposure to environmental toxins such as fuel, paints, pesticides, fumes, etc.
Embryo Transfer Instruction
Typically embryo transfers are scheduled three to five days after the egg retrieval. Unlike the retrieval, the transfer is not a surgical procedure. You may eat and drink normally on this day although we do ask that you arrive with a full bladder. Usually drinking twelve to sixteen ounces of fluids thirty minutes prior to the transfer is sufficient. Your physician will consult with you and your partner prior to the transfer regarding the number of embryos transferred. The American Society of Reproductive Medicine recommendation is two embryos transferred in some women under the age of thirty-five and three embryos or more transferred in women more than thirty-five. Of course these are recommendations, but the final decision will belong to you and your partner.
Your partner may accompany you during the transfer. The embryos are placed in the uterus using a small catheter with abdominal ultrasound visualization. After the transfer you will move to a stretcher where you will lie flat for fifteen to thirty minutes. Plan on staying home the rest of this day. You will continue your medications as instructed. Refrain from intercourse for three days following the transfer. Over the next two weeks minimize your physical activity to walking. Refrain from running, jogging, aerobics, tennis or horseback riding. In other words, any activity that is jarring to the body. Do not douche. Avoid any situation where water could be forced into your vagina such as water sports or hot tubs. Remember you will have a blood pregnancy test two weeks after the egg retrieval day. If your retrieval was on Saturday, you may test one day early. If you live out of town you may test at the facility of your choice. Please notify us if this is your wish as you will need a physician order. It is important that you have a blood pregnancy test even if you are spotting or bleeding. You may still be pregnant.