Little is known of the effect on oocytes of anesthesia administered during retrieval. The main objective of this study was to compare the prolactin and stress hormone responses to surgical stimulus under 4 anesthetic techniques and to determine whether there is an effect of technique on the number and quality of oocytes retrieved.
Methods: We designed a clinical trial to determine the plasma and follicular levels of prolactin and cortisol in patients in an assisted reproduction program. The patients were randomized to 3 anesthetic groups: general anesthesia, spinal anesthesia, or sedation with alfentanil and midazolam plus paracervical block. Patients were consecutively assigned to the fourth group to receive sedation with remifentanil plus paracervical block.
Results: We studied 90 patients. The patients receiving general anesthesia had the greatest increase in prolactin by the end of the procedure. Follicular cortisol increased in the paracervical block group in which remifentanil was used for sedation. The only significant difference between groups was seen for the rate of gestation of 0% in the group receiving sedation with alfentanil and midazolam before a paracervical block. Adverse effects were few with all the techniques. All patients reported a high degree of satisfaction.
Conclusions: Plasma increases in prolactin and hormonal responses to follicular puncture were fully attenuated by spinal anesthesia and partially attenuated by the techniques requiring sedation. None of the anesthetic techniques proved harmful to oocytes or embryos. Nor was the effectiveness of the in vitro fertilization technique affected by any of the anesthetic techniques studied.