During egg collection (= ovum pick-up) in the context of IVF, the follicles are aspirated with the help of a needle. It is necessary to puncture through the vaginal wall under ultrasound vision. Although the needle is as thin as possible, the procedure can still be painful.

Many patients ask for a local anaesthetic, which unfortunately is not possible for this procedure. But we can still offer you two different very effective options for pain relief or elimination for the follicle puncture:

• Sedation/caedema: Here we inject the drug "Dormicum" into your vein. It contains the active ingredient midazolam, which belongs to the group of so-called "benzodiazepines" and is thus closely related to the very well-known drug "Valium". Many patients really do fall asleep, some experience a twilight state. Some patients feel a little of the egg cell retrieval.
• Short anaesthetic: Our anaesthetic team will usually inject a mixture of a strong painkiller and propofol into your vein. This will always put you into a sleep-like narcotic state, during which it is sometimes necessary to help you breathe with a face mask. However, this form of short anaesthesia cannot be compared to a "general anaesthesia", in which a breathing cannula is usually inserted into the windpipe (=intubation) to constantly support the patient's breathing.

Both the sedation and the anaesthesia only last a few minutes, so you will wake up again immediately after the procedure. You will then stay in the relaxation room for about an hour for further observation. Your condition is monitored during the procedure and afterwards with a small sensor on your fingertip. Here we can see your heart rate and how much oxygen is in your blood.

Important: Please inform us of any symptoms, underlying diseases, previous findings, intolerances or allergies, etc. that are relevant to these forms of analgesia. If you have already had a sedation or anaesthesia and experienced nausea or vomiting afterwards, please let us know: Let us know this too, we can then prevent it with medication.