A prospective, randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study to assess the efficacy of paracervical block in the pain relief during egg collection in IVF

The role of paracervical block in the pain relief during egg collection in in-vitro fertilization (IVF) is still not confirmed. In this prospective, d ouble-blind and, placebo-controlled study, 135 patients undergoing egg coll ection in their first IVF cycle were randomized to receive 10 ml of 1.5% li gnocaine (group A) or normal saline (group B) in the paracervical block and no local injection (group C), No differences were seen among the groups in the demographic data, the ovarian response, the duration of egg collection , the number of follicles punctured, the pregnancy rates and the pain level s related to blood taking, scanning and insertion of an i.v. cannula, All p atients experienced similar pain scores for vaginal puncture but patients i n group A experienced significantly less abdominal pain during egg collecti on, compared with those in group B and group C (P = 0.009 and P = 0.001 res pectively; Mann-Whitney U-test), When lignocaine was used, the abdominal pa in scores were reduced by 38.9 and 51.4% compared with placebo and no local injection respectively, We recommend that paracervical block with lignocai ne should be used in conjunction with i.v. sedation/analgesia during egg co llection performed through the transvaginal route under ultrasound guidance (TUGOR) to reduce the pain of the procedure.