Pain after egg collection

[Alicefff]

Hi ladies, I’d love some advice and feel so emotional today. I have no idea if what’s in experiencing is normal.

I had my egg collection on Monday. As I came around from the sedation I was shaking with pain and pleading for pain relief. I also was so nauseous and vomited a few times. After several scans they said I had a small bleed and gave me some clotting meds and kept me in for longer observations but all my bloods were ok after this and they let me go late afternoon.

I expected for it to be a painful procedure as I have Endometriosis and pcos. I find all the internal scans painful and also had a 3d saline sis which I was in agony during and after for days.

Since the procedure on Monday I’ve been in a lot of pain, I have mostly stayed in bed or laid on the sofa. My stomach is bloated, it hurts to touch, I feel light headed when I walk around. I still have an appetite though and no temperature so I keep thinking I’m over reacting. Yesterday I felt a little better, I was able to be a bit more active but today I’ve woken up and the pain is so bad. I also have developed pain in my shoulders and neck.

My fiancé says he thinks I am ok and this is normal considering I find this kind of thing so painful and it such an invasive procedure.

I know he’s trying to reassure me but it’s also upsetting me as I feel like he thinks I’m overeating.

Any advice or reassurance would be appreciated.

[DianeArnold Partner Nurse Fertility Network UK]

Hi Alicefff. So sorry to hear this. It is important to drink lots of water, enough to keep your urine output pale, and rest when you can. Take regular paracetamol for pain unless something else has been prescribed. No anti inflammatories such as ibuprofen. Hope fertilisation goes well and you soon feel better. Thinking of you. Diane

[Alicefff in reply to DianeArnold]

Thanks so much Diane. I’m desperately trying to drink as much water as possible. I’m drinking 3/4 litres I think but still dehydrated. Also taking paracetamols but they don’t seem to do much. Feeling a little less emotional now. I know it’s important to not get too stressed as it doesn’t help anyone. Thanks again for your kind words X

[DianeArnold Partner Nurse Fertility Network UK in reply to Alicefff]

You poor thing! Do keep up with the water and you will eventually settle. If your urine output goes down, you must see a doctor. Thinking of you. Diane

[Linds150]

I’m going through exactly the same as you right now and worrying I’m overreacting too. I had a lot of follicles so hoping the pain and swelling is all due to that.

Had a pretty rough time after collection - fainted and scared the life out of my partner, writhing in pain, sick several times. Spent the last 48 hours in bed, feeling very sorry for myself!

Can’t offer you any advice but just wanted you to know your not alone with it... let me know how you get on xx

[Alicefff in reply to Linds150]

Thanks for your reply. I’m so sorry to hear you had a hard time too. I had lots of follicles as well (they were worried I had OHSS just before I had my trigger) so that must be part of the reason we feel so bad. I keep thinking it will get better and then it doesn’t and that makes me feel so down in the dumps. Also really worried about transfer, it says on my documents from the clinic that they don’t sedate you. I just don’t think I can put myself through that, I don’t physically know if I’d be able to lie there if it was painful. In the last year or so I’ve had surgery for my endo and now this. I was so positive when I started the process and now I’m worried whether I can do it?! I’m thinking of asking the clinic whether I can have a sedation or gas and air.. I hope you feel better soon. I will let you know what happens x

[Linds150 in reply to Alicefff]

My doctor just called me and said I have a number of indicatiors of OHSS so need to be monitored. May postpone trf if no better by day 5 so my body can recover a bit. Strangely relieved as at least now I know I’m not just being a bit of a wuss! Got everything crossed for you - you sound like you’ve had a pretty tough year. Hopefully this will be a lot easier then you expect. Let me know how it goes and feel free to reach out if you need w bit of a sympathetic ear xx

[Alicefff in reply to Linds150]

Linds150 I’m so glad you got the answer to your pain and know what’s going on. I had the night from hell. I spoke to my clinic late afternoon yesterday and as I live miles away from them they told me to go to my A&E. I got to A&E yesterday at 4pm and they wanted me to see a gynaecologist, they put me on the gynae ward at midnight and I waited until 7.30am morning and then just left. Apparently he had a really busy night which is fair enough but I couldn’t wait anymore on that ward. Apparently my bloods came back ok which is good I suppose. I hope you feel better this morning. Although I feel so tired and still in pain I don’t have as much as I did yesterday morning so hopefully I’m at a turning point.

Take care xx

[Lizzielizzielizzie in reply to Alicefff]

I have had ET under sedation and mock ET with gas and air, I would definitely ask sooner rather than later about this because not all clinics have gas and air and if you’re NHS funded then they have to make an application to use sedation for ET- I’m not sure if it’s an application for a licence or funding or what. It’s definitely valid to have ET under sedation for emotional reasons as well as clinical ones and you sound like it would be hard clinically and emotionally for you. However, it really is a totally different procedure to that of egg collection so you might find you’re ok x

[Alicefff in reply to Lizzielizzielizzie]

Hi Lizzie

Thanks so much for this info it is so helpful and I’m going to discuss this with the clinic when I next speak to them. Xxx

[Alicefff]

Thanks so much Diane. I’m desperately trying to drink as much water as possible. I’m drinking 3/4 litres I think but still dehydrated. Also taking paracetamols but they don’t seem to do much. Feeling a little less emotional now. I know it’s important to not get too stressed as it doesn’t help anyone. Thanks again for your kind words X

[Amanda86]

Hey, I was in a lot of pain after EC, not staright after but the next day onwards and it lasted around 5/6 days. I was struggling to walk, all hunched over with the pain - I could not have returned to work like some people do!

I just drank a much water as possible and regular paracetamol.

If you do feel the pain is really bad you could always ring clinic just to be on safe side, some people do get OHSS and from what I’ve seen this can cause extreme pain, bloating etc.

Hope you feel better soon 😘 xxx

[Hidden in reply to Amanda86]

I know EXACTLY how you feel 🤢😬😖😖

[Alicefff]

Thanks so much, I did end up seeing a doctor and my bloods and urine tested normal.

6 days on from my egg collection I have finally woken up without terrible pain, although I still have a very tender and bloated stomach, I do see light at the end of the tunnel now.

I’ve now got a 2 week wait for my little embryos to be PGD/PDF tested before finding out if any make it (because I am a carrier for a nasty generic condition).

Thank you for your kind words and advice

[Amanda86 in reply to Alicefff]

Good luck! 🤞 xxx