Conscious sedation for oocyte retrieval: Experience at a tertiary health facility in North‑Central, Nigeria
Abstract
Background: A variety of anesthetic techniques have been used to make transvaginal oocyte retrieval (TVOR) safe and efficient. The optimal anesthetic technique during TVOR should provide safe, effective analgesia, few side effects, a short recovery time, and be nontoxic to the oocytes that are being retrieved. The concept of conscious sedation is widely accepted for the short‑term management of pain.
Objective: This study assessed patient’s perception of pain using conscious sedation and in‑vitro fertilization (IVF) outcomes.
Materials and Methods: A cross sectional study of 71 eligible patients that underwent assisted reproduction program in our facility. All clients were treated with antagonist protocol for controlled ovarian hyperstimulation. Self‑administered questionnaires were used as the research instrument. Pain was assessed using a 10 cm visual analogue scale (VAS), while client’s overall satisfaction was rated using Likert scoring system.
Results: Client aged 33.2 ± 4.2 years. Most of them had primary infertility with mean duration of 4.5 ± 2.9 years. Unexplained infertility was the commonest cause of infertility. The pregnancy rate per embryo transfer was 47.9%, miscarriage rate was 5.6%, while the live birth rate was 42.3%. The mean VAS scores at 1 h, 6 h, 24 h and at embryo transfer were 4.9 ± 1.7, 2.5 ± 1.2, 1.3 ± 0.9, and 0.5 ± 0.6, while the Likert score was 3.8 ± 1.1.
Conclusion: Conscious sedation with Midazolam and Pethidine is a safe, effective, and acceptable method of analgesia/anesthesia for TVOR. However randomized prospective studies with larger sample sizes are recommended.
Key words: Conscious sedation; Nigeria; oocyte retrieval; tertiary health facility.
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