Comparison of complication rates and pain scores after transvaginal ultrasound-guided oocyte pickup procedures for in vitro maturation and in vitro fertilization cycles

Objective: To compare complication rates and pain scores after oocyte pickup (OPU) in in vitro maturation (IVM) and IVF cycles. Design: Retrospective cohort study. Setting: University-affiliated ART center. Patient(s): One hundred eighty-eight IVM and 188 IVF OPUs. Intervention(s): IVM OPUs were done using a 19-gauge single-lumen needle, and IVF OPUs were done using a 17-gauge single-or 16gauge double-lumen needles. Main Outcome Measure(s): Duration of OPU, complication rates, and pain scores during the OPU procedure. Result(s): IVM OPU took significantly more time than IVF OPU (22 vs. 15 minutes). Two women in the IVM and four in the IVF group experienced bleeding from the vaginal wall or ovary. None of them required hospitalization, transfusion, or an operative intervention. One patient in each group had pelvic infection. Severe post-OPU abdominal pain occurred in one patient in the IVM group and five patients in the IVF group. No differences were found between pain scores in the IVF and IVM groups (3.4 vs. 3.8). Conclusion(s): Although IVM OPU requires more punctures per ovary, it is well tolerated and does not seem to be associated with a higher complication rate than IVF OPU. (C) 2014 by American Society for Reproductive Medicine.