Various techniques for oocyte recovery in an in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer program

Oocyte recovery in an in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET) program can be performed by laparoscopy or by sonography. Most IVF teams use either one or the other of these methods. In Clamart, we undertook 407 IVF attempts from September 1983 to March 1984, 225 by laparoscopy under general anesthesia, 97 by laparoscopy under local anesthesia, and 85 by sonography. Excluding the recovery techniques, all aspects of the program (ovulation monitoring, culture, and transfer) were identical in order to study the effects of the anesthesia and the ultrasound. We did not find any significant difference in pregnancy rates, inclusive of biochemical pregnancies, among these three recovery methods, although ultrasonically guided puncture gave fewer follicles, oocytes, and embryos than laparoscopy.