Does the number of prior oocyte retrieval practices increase the amount of blood loss in subsequent OPU procedures

Background: Though OPU is a safe and simple procedure, it may cause damage to pelvic structures and bleeding. It is unclear whether history of a prior OPU poses any risk of increased blood loss in the OPU. We, herein, aimed to evaluate whether mean blood loss and hematologic parameters vary between women with and without the history of an OPU, in an unexplained infertility population. Methods: A prospective case-control study was conducted through the files of patients who underwent IVF/ICSI-ET between June and December 2013. Unexplained infertility patients with a CBC result were assigned to two groups; those undergoing OPU for the first time (Group 1, n=40) and those who were previously subjected to at least 1 procedure (Group 2, n=13). Blood samples were obtained before the ET. Hemoglobin values and changes were compared between the two groups. Results: Delta hemoglobin value did not significantly differ between the groups (p=0.469) and there were no significant difference between the pre- and post-procedure hemoglobin values in the patients with no and at least one OPUs and the total patient population (p=0.792, 0.259 and 0.442, respectively). Conclusions: Our study results reveal that the amount of the blood loss in OPU does not significantly vary between women subjected to the procedure for the first time and for more than 1 time.