Effect of reduced needle versus standard needle on pain experience during oocyte retrieval procedure: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare reduced needle versus standard needle regarding pain experience among women undergoing oocyte retrieval procedures. Methods: A systematic search was done in Cochrane Library, PubMed, ISI web of science, and Scopus during April 2021. We selected randomized clinical trials (RCTs) compared reduced needle versus standard needle among women undergoing ultrasound-guided oocyte retrieval procedures. Revman software was utilized for performing our meta-analysis. Our primary outcomes were pain scores evaluated by the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) during the procedure, directly post-procedure, and 30 min post-procedure. Our secondary outcomes were the request for more analgesia, clinical pregnancy rate, and rate of vaginal bleeding less than expected. Results: Six RCTs met our inclusion criteria with a total number of 1063 patients. We found reduced needle was linked to a significant reduction in VAS pain score during and directly after the procedure, respectively (MD= −1.54, 95% CI [–2.38, −0.70], p =.003 and MD= −1.14, 95% CI [–1.38, −0.91], p