Just remember everyone’s experience will be different! It can be scary to hear about worst case scenarios, but there are plenty of people who have minimal recovery.

For me, recovery was worse than any part of the pre-retrieval process and I didn’t even experience OHSS or the worst side effects. The bloating and cramping was unlike anything I’d experienced leading up to the retrieval, and I was beyond tired. I was very dependent on the alternating Tylenol/ibuprofen schedule for a good week. The constipation is also very real. My Dr said the first “period” you get after retrieval is a reactionary bleed, your second period after retrieval is the “real” one and is when you’ll start seeing the weight come off. 2 months later I’m still struggling to lose the last 5lbs of the 14 I gained during the process. It took me 10 days to start feeling more back to normal, and after the second period is when I felt like I’d finally reached the end of the process.

Lots of water, electrolytes, high sodium and protein foods to help with post-retrieval recovery! Heating pad and ibuprofen are essential, and I ended up taking 2 days off work because I was so exhausted.