Cover
Vol. 15 No. 1 (2025)

Published: June 30, 2025

Pages: 60-76

Articles

Anesthetic agent (propofol)and analgesic agents (ketorolac): Impact on ART Success: LH and Cortisol as Predictors in ICSI treatment

Abstract

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications may interfere with ovulation, implantation, and pregnancy; they are generally avoided during reproductive procedures. The risks of using them during IVF must be carefully weighed against the necessity of pain relief during oocyte retrieval. About 64 women (ages 20–42) undergoing ICSI participated in a single-blind, cross- sectional clinical trial at the High Institute for Infertility at Al-Nahrain University from October 2024 to May 2025. During oocyte retrieval, participants were split into two groups at random and given propofol anesthesia and ketorolac analgesia, respectively. They all adhered to a common protocol for ovarian stimulation. Based on their maturity stage (MII, MI, or GV), oocytes were categorized; those that were aberrant or degenerated were not included in ICSI. ELISA was used to measure the levels of cortisol and serum LH both before and after oocyte retrieval. The mean post -operation LH Marker level were 10.41±8.0, 6.40± 7.48 among GA and analgesia groups respectively, this relation was statistically significant (P value =0.04). The mean Post -operation Cortisol Marker level were 201.13±132.34, 159.13± 78.42 among GA and analgesia groups respectively . The mean number of Oocytes: Similar for both groups (10±5.53 for anesthesia and 10.59±5.44 for analgesia). Abnormalities of Oocytes: slightly lower in the group receiving anesthesia (0.56±1.44 vs. 0.69±1.18). The anesthesia group had fewer ruptured oocytes (0.16±0.45 vs. 0.25±0.57). Fertilized embryos: Grade I: The anesthesia group had slightly fewer (2.75±2.63 vs. 3.13±2.46). Grade II: Groups are comparable (1.41±1.58 vs. 1.31±1.53). Grade III: Lower in the group under anesthesia (0.19±0.54 vs. 0.38±0.83). Similar results were obtained from arrested embryos (anesthesia: 0.63±1.1, analgesia: 0.68±1.64). The analgesia group had a significantly higher number of transferred embryos (anesthesia: 1.84±1.08, analgesia: 2.88±1.62; P = 0.004). The analgesia group showed a significant decrease in post-operation LH marker, Cortisol Marker, and higher mean number of transferred embryos compared to the anesthesia group.

References

  1. Practice Committee of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, 2023. Definition of infertility: A committee opinion. Fertility and Sterility, 120(6)
  2. Withers M. Infertility among women in low-and middle-income countries. In Hand book of Global Health 2021 May 12 (pp. 885- 910). Cham: Springer International Publishing.
  3. Mustafa M, Sharifa AM, Hadi J, IIIzam E, Aliya S. (2019) Male and female infertility: causes, and management. IOSR Journal of Dental and Medical Sciences.;18(9):27-32.
  4. Oguejiofor, C.B., Obi, N.C., Okafor, O.C., Eleje, G.U. and Okafor, C.G., 2023. A 5-Year Retrospective Cross-Sectional of The Pattern of Infertility in Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi, Nigeria. Gynecol Obstet Open Acc, 7(166), pp.2577-2236.
  5. Mohsin, H.A.H., Reshan, R.G. and Jawad, M.A., 2020. Comparison between Effects of Ketamine and Remifentanil Used During Oocyte Retrieval on ICSI Outcome. Systematic Reviews in Pharmacy. Sys Rev Pharm 2020; 11(4): 621 628
  6. Tawfeeq, F. M. M., Jwad, M. A., & Reshan, R. G. (2022). Study some parameters in women underwent in-vitro fertilization with spinal anesthesia compared with general anesthesia. International Journal of Health Sciences, 6(S8), 2087-2095
  7. Al-Jubouri, W.M., Al-Obaidi, M.T. and Hussaini, H.A., 2021. Endometrial perfusion with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor in infertile women. Pharmacology online, pp.417-425
  8. Jain, R., Sharma, P., and Gupta, A., 2021. Regional anesthesia techniques in assisted reproduction: Paracervical blocks revisited. Indian Journal of Clinical Anesthesia, 56(3), pp.105110.
  9. Matsota, P., Kaminioti, E. and Kostopanagiotou, G., 2015. Anesthesia related toxic effects on in vitro fertilization outcome: burden of proof. BioMed research international, 2015(1), p.475362.
  10. Nossair, W.S. and Maaty, A.M.A., 2017. Comparative Study among Ketamine, Thiopental and Probofol for Sedation during In Vitro Fertilization Procedures. SM J Gynecol Obstet, 3(1), p.1020.
  11. Chen, Y., Zhao, L. and Li, X., 2021. Advances in sedation techniques for oocyte retrieval: A focus on benzodiazepines. Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics, 38(4), pp.321-330.
  12. Smith, C., Armour, M. and Yang, J., 2020. Comparative efficacy of anesthesia techniques in oocyte retrieval: Evidence synthesis. Reproductive Biomedicine Online, 42(1), pp.89-95
  13. Liu, L., Zhang, X. and Huang, Y., 2022. The role of low-dose aspirin in IVF: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Human Reproduction Update, 28(4), pp.445-456.
  14. Nasiri, N. and Eftekhari-Yazdi, P.(2015) ‘An overview of the available methods for morphological scoring of pre-implantation embryos in in vitro fertilization’ , Cell Journal (Yakhteh), 16 (4), pp. 392- 405.
  15. Alpha Scientists in Reproductive Medicine and ESHRE Special InterestGroup of Embryology (2011)‘The Istanbul consensus workshop on embryo assessment: proceedings of an expert meeting’ , Human Reproduction, 26 (6), pp. 1270-1283.
  16. Gao, P., Hu, X., Xia, L., Chen, J., Zhang, X., Xu, D., Tian, L. and Huang, J., 2025. A retrospective study comparing maternal- infant outcome analysis of live births from patients undergoing painless oocyte retrieval versus conventional oocyte retrieval. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 25(1), pp.1-9.
  17. Muhssin S., Lubna, A.A., 2022. Evaluation of LH Level at Different Time Points During the Follicular phase in ICSI Cycle and Correlation with Pregnancy. Iraqi Journal of Embryos and Infertility Researches, 12(1), pp.37-54.
  18. Desborough, J.P., 2000. The stress response to trauma and surgery. British Journal of Anaesthesia, 85(1), pp.109–117.
  19. Kwan, I., Bhattacharya, S., Knox, F. and McNeil, A., 2006. Conscious sedation and analgesia for oocyte retrieval during IVF procedures: a Cochrane review. Human Reproduction, 21(6), pp.1573–1578.
  20. Orak, Y., Tolun, F.İ., Bakacak, M., Yaylalı, A., Kıran, H., Öksüz, H., Doğaner, A., Yağmur, I. and Altun, A., 2021. Effects of propofol versus sevoflurane on postoperative pain and neuroendocrine stress response in oocyte pickup patients. Pain Research and Management, 2021(1), p.5517150.
  21. Wang, M., Hao, C., Bao, H., Huang, X., Liu, Z., Zhang, W. and Li, F.(2017)‘Effect of elevated estradiol levels on the hCG administration day on IVF pregnancy and birth outcomes in the long GnRH-agonist protocol: analysis of 3393 cycles’ , Archives of gynecology and obstetrics, 295 (2), pp. 407- 414.
  22. Mugeir, H. A. A. R., Al-Zubaidi, R. G., & Mossa, H. A. L. (2022). A comparative study between general anesthesia and conscious sedation for oocyte retrieval on hemodynamic recovery and oocyte quality. International Journal of Health Sciences, 6(S6), 6714–6719.
  23. Seidler EA, Vaughan DA, Leung AQ, Sakkas D, Ryley DA, Penzias AS.( 2021). Routine ketorolac at oocyte retrieval decreases postoperative narcotic use by more than 50. F S Rep;2(2):156-160.
  24. Bouvette , S.M., MSIII, J.B.M., Butt, A.L., Craig, L.B. and Kulesus, K.J.,(2024). Role of Ketorolac in Post Transvaginal Oocyte Retrieval Pain Management and Its Effects on In-vitro Fertilization Pregnancy Outcomes. The Journal of the Oklahoma State Medical Association 117(2):51-54
  25. Mesen, T.B., Kacemi-Bourhim, L., Marshburn, P.B., Usadi, R.S., Matthews, M., Norton, H.J. and Hurst, B.S., 2013. The effect of ketorolac on pregnancy rates when used immediately after oocyte retrieval. Fertility and Sterility, 100(3), pp.725-728.
  26. Basaran , B., Gundogdu, H., Tutar, S. and Gulerman, C., 2019. Relationship between serum estrogen concentration and propofol consumption: A prospective observational study of patients undergoing oocyte retrieval. Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Research, 45(1), pp.148155.
  27. Budak , Ö., Bostancı, M.S., Tuna, A., Toprak, V., Çakiroğlu, H. and Gök, K., 2021. The effect of Propofol versus Dexmedetomidine as anesthetic agents for oocyte pick-up on in vitro fertilization (IVF) outcomes. Scientific Reports, 11(1), p.23922.
  28. Haikin Herzberger, E., Levy, O., Sun, B., Miller, N., Rahav, R., Dana, E., Raviv, S., Hershko-Klement, A. and Wiser, A., 2023. General anesthesia with propofol during oocyte retrieval and in vitro fertilization outcomes: retrospective cohort study. Scientific Reports, 13(1), p.8021.