Background: Propofol, used for IV induction of anesthesia in ART, has been suspected of damaging oocytes. Its levels have been shown to increase in follicular fluid during oocyte retrieval.

Materials and Methods: A cohort of 40 women underwent IV anesthesia using propofol and fentanyl. Time of anesthesia from IV injection of propofol was measured. First and last oocytes were cultured separately. The mean time from IV injection to first follicle aspiration was 9.5 minutes.

Results and Conclusion: This study showed that exposure to the IV anesthetic drug propofol had a significant effect on the grading of oocytes. The subjects with grade 1 oocytes significantly decreased at the last oocyte retrieval while grade 2 oocytes significantly increased at the last oocyte retrieval. We conclude that the time elapsed between retrieval of the first and last oocyte does affect oocyte quality.