Propofol anesthesia for transvaginal ultrasound guided oocyte retrieval

The purposes of this study were to determine the efficacy of propofol anesthesia for oocyte retrieval and its effect on IVF outcomes. The anesthetic records of 339 oocyte retrieval cycles were analysed. The mean of total amount of propofol, duration of anesthesia and oocyte pick up were 197.7 +/- 84.2 mg, 25.2 +/- 8.5 and 19.5 +/- 7.4 minutes, respectively. In all cases propofol induced anesthesia within seconds. Mean recovery time was 32.2 +/- 5.4 minutes. Significant nausea and vomiting occurred in one patient. Mild hypotension was observed in 55 out of 339 cycles (16.2%) which did not correlate to the amount and duration of propofol used. A total of 3,417 oocytes were obtained. Fertilization occurred in 2,431 oocytes (71.1%). Mean cleavage rate was 84.5 per cent of fertilized eggs. Mean number of transferred embryo was 4.4 +/- 2.0. Embryos were transferred in 321 cycles, resulted in 73 pregnancies (21.5% per oocyte pick up and 22.7% per transfer). Neither the dose of propofol or the duration of anesthesia has significant effect on pregnancy rate. Propofol anesthesia was found to be efficacious for oocyte retrieval with a rapid induction and recovery, and minimal side effects. The fertilization and pregnancy rates are comparable to other reports using different anesthetic or analgesic agents. However, to reliably determine if propofol affects the IVF outcome a prospective and randomized trial should be performed.