Anesthesia for in vitro fertilization

INTRODUCTION Although in vitro fertilization (IVF) is considered a minor surgical procedure, it might be very painful and associated with fear and anxiety (1). IVF techniques include (2): 1. Ovarian stimulation and monitoring 2. Transvaginal ultrasound-guided oocyte retrieval (TUGOR) 3. Fertilization in the laboratory and transfer of embryos into the uterus Anesthesiologists are mainly involved in TUGOR. Women undergoing transvaginal oocyte retrieval experience mild to moderate pain caused by the puncture of the vaginal wall and ovarian capsule with a needle necessary to aspirate the follicles. e majority of the patients are young and healthy, but exhibit stress, anxiety, and other psychological disturbances associated with infertility. It is particularly important for the anesthesiologist to understand the patient's psychological stress and take appropriate measures to allay it. Repeated interventions are oen necessary and therefore the need for mitigating the pain associated with the procedure is a major consideration (3).