Is bloating after egg retrieval normal?

Mild bloating can happen because your ovaries may still be enlarged. Call your clinic right away, day or night, if bloating gets worse, if you are peeing less than usual or if you can't keep fluids down. Call 911 if you have trouble breathing, swelling in any part of your body, or are very thirsty and peeing less than usual.

How much pain is normal after egg retrieval?

You may feel cramping or pressure in your belly after you wake up. Call your clinic right away, day or night, if pain is sudden or severe, gets worse, or is not eased by the pain relief they recommended.

When can I exercise after egg retrieval?

Gentle walking is fine. Avoid running, heavy lifting and hard exercise until your clinic says it is OK, because enlarged ovaries can be hurt by hard activity.

Is bleeding after egg retrieval normal?

Light spotting can last 1 to 2 days. Use pads, not tampons. Soaking a full-size pad with bright red blood in less than an hour, or bleeding heavier than a period, is heavy bleeding, so call your clinic right away, day or night.

Egg retrieval recovery: bloating and pain

Q: How long does egg retrieval recovery take?

Plan to rest for at least the first 24 hours. Bloating can last longer than the soreness. Mild OHSS symptoms usually go away within two weeks unless you become pregnant.

After egg retrieval, you may feel sore, bloated or tired, and light spotting can happen too. Plan to rest, and have someone with you to help after the sleep medicine. Call your clinic right away, day or night, if pain or bloating gets worse.

If you are in pain or worried right now, go straight to the warning signs. Your clinic's discharge sheet comes first, so if it differs from this page, follow your clinic.

Arrange help before retrieval day

The sleep medicine used during retrieval can affect your thinking for a while. Because of that, you will need someone to drive you to and from your appointment. Set up these things ahead of time:

A ride home. You cannot drive for 24 hours.
Someone to stay with you for the rest of the day.
Care for children, pets or an adult who depends on you. For 24 hours, you should not be the one responsible for them.

For those 24 hours, also do not use machines or tools, drink alcohol, sign legal papers or make big decisions. You can eat as usual and shower when you like.

What recovery may feel like

In the first hours, you may feel cramping or pressure in your belly. You may also feel sick to your stomach. Clear drinks and crackers can help with nausea.

Cramping and pelvic pain. Some clinics name acetaminophen (Tylenol) for this pain, so ask yours which pain reliever to use. A heating pad on your belly can also ease the pain. Call your clinic right away, day or night, if pain is sudden or severe, gets worse, or is not eased by the pain relief they recommended.
Light spotting. Light bleeding or spotting for 1 to 2 days is normal. Wear a pad or panty liner, not a tampon.
Bloating. Your ovaries may still be enlarged after retrieval, so some discomfort can happen. Bloating may last longer than the soreness from the procedure.

How long does egg retrieval recovery take?

Rest for at least 24 hours after the procedure. On the day after, you can walk and do your usual light activities, but skip anything heavy or high-impact, like running.

Keep an eye on how you feel for the next several days, not just the first night. OHSS (explained below) usually starts a few days after ovulation, so a problem can show up after the soreness has faded. If you are having a fresh embryo transfer, your clinic will give you extra instructions for that.

Protecting your ovaries

Enlarged ovaries need care. Hard exercise and sex can cause discomfort, and they may cause a cyst to burst or an ovary to twist.

Gentle walking is fine.
No running, jumping or heavy lifting until your clinic says it is OK.
Ask your clinic when sex is OK. UW Medicine says to wait 2 weeks after retrieval. Your clinic may give a different time, especially if a transfer is coming up.

A quick daily check

Writing down how you feel helps you notice change, and it makes a call with your nurse quicker. Once or twice a day, jot down answers to four questions:

Pain: better, the same or worse?
Bloating: better, the same or worse?
Drinking and peeing: can you keep fluids down, and are you peeing as much as usual?
Anything new: any symptom you did not have before. A fever, vomiting or dizziness means calling your clinic right away, day or night.

Your clinic will tell you if and how to track your weight. If they ask you to weigh yourself, do it the way they say and write it down.

Recovery checklist

Someone to drive you home and stay with you the first day.
Help lined up for children, pets or anyone you care for.
The pain reliever your clinic approved, and a heating pad.
Pads or panty liners (no tampons).
Easy snacks, like crackers, and the drinks your clinic suggests.
Any new medicines, such as progesterone if a fresh transfer is planned, taken as prescribed.
Your clinic's daytime and after-hours numbers saved in your phone.
The date of your next appointment or call.

OHSS: a complication to know about

Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) happens when the ovaries react strongly to the fertility medicines. Fluid leaks into the belly. Mild bloating on its own does not mean you have serious OHSS. ReproductiveFacts.org (ASRM) says one out of three people having stimulation for IVF have mild OHSS symptoms, such as mild bloating, nausea and weight gain from fluid.

Severe OHSS is different. People with it usually vomit and cannot keep liquids down, and the swelling in their belly causes real discomfort. They can become short of breath, and blood clots can form, which can be life-threatening.

Mild OHSS usually does not need treatment. Most mild cases go away after your period starts, and symptoms usually go away within two weeks unless you become pregnant. Pregnancy can make OHSS worse or last longer.

Self-care for mild OHSS can include resting with your legs up while still moving gently now and then, drinking plenty of fluids (including drinks with electrolytes) and skipping alcohol and caffeine. Ask your clinic how much to drink and what they want you to watch. Drinking more is not a reason to wait if you feel worse.

When to get help

Call your clinic right away, day or night, if you have:

A fever of 100.4°F (38°C) or higher.
Heavy bleeding: soaking a full-size pad with bright red blood in less than an hour, or bleeding heavier than a period.
Belly or pelvic pain that is sudden or severe, gets worse, or isn't eased by the pain relief your clinic recommended.
Pain and bloating in your belly, or bloating that is getting worse.
Nausea and vomiting, nausea that won't go away, or you can't keep fluids down.
Peeing less than usual, even if you are not thirsty.
Fast weight gain. Your clinic will tell you its number, but do not wait to reach a weight threshold if you feel unwell.
Dizziness, lightheadedness, or feeling faint.
Pain, redness or warmth in an arm or leg.
Blood in your urine, or pain when you pee or poop.
Discharge from your vagina that smells bad.

Tell your clinic at your next contact about other milder symptoms that are new, don't go away or slowly get worse. If you are not sure which group a symptom fits, call.

Key takeaway

Plan your help before retrieval, rest for the first day, and check each day whether pain and bloating are getting better or worse. Call your clinic when things get worse, and call 911 for any of the emergency signs above.

Next, see embryo development, or go back to the egg retrieval day guide.

Egg retrieval recovery: bloating, pain and when to get help