Anesthesia for Assisted Reproduction

Infertility is a common aspect globally affecting couples to 15%, and it is frequently increasing the need for anesthesiologists’ participation in assisted reproductive techniques. Currently, the procedures used to assist reproduction are unable to fully cover the detrimental effects of age. During anesthesia-analgesia in oocyte retrieval, the role of the anesthesiologist is to provide the patient with adequate anxiolysis, analgesia, and sedation as the key to success in the procedure. An adequate pre-anesthetic assessment is required to identify derivative diseases and take the appropriate care of each patient. Modern anesthetic techniques for oocyte retrieval include conscious sedation, general anesthesia, regional anesthesia, and other alternative techniques, such as electroacupuncture, or even a combination of these. In this chapter, the main characteristics of these techniques will be exposed, as well as their complications and the recommendations so that anesthetic procedures are safe not only for the patient, but also for the whole process’ success.

Keywords: Acupuncture, Anesthesia for Assisted Reproduction, Ambulatory Gynecological Procedures, Assisted Reproductive Technique/Technology, Infertility, Oocyte Retrieval, Sedation.