the effect of a newly designed needle on the pain and bleeding of patients during oocyte retrieval of a single follicle

background: the purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of needle type on pain and bleeding during oocyte pick-up (opu). methods: from may through november 2013, patients undergoing opu from a single follicle without any analgesic treatment were including this study. eligible patients (n=75) were randomized 1:1 to undergo the procedure with either a reduced needle (17 gauge body, 20 gauge tip; rn group) or a standard needle (19 gauge; sn group). overall pain was assessed by patients using a visual analogue scale (vas), and vaginal bleeding after the procedure was recorded. fisher exact, t-test or wilcoxon test were used, and p<0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. results: the percentage of mature oocytes was 86.5% in the rn group and 91.7% in the sn group. pain during opu was significantly lower in the rn group than in the sn group (mean vas score±sd: 3.2±2.0 cm vs. 4.9±2.2 cm, p<0.01; mean±sd). the frequency of bleeding in the rn group was also significantly lower than that in the sn group (26.3% vs. 48.6%; p<0.05). no significant differences were found between the two groups with regard to fertilization and pregnancy rates. conclusion: the newly designed needle significantly reduced pain and vaginal bleeding associated with single-follicle opu in patients receiving no analgesic treatment, in comparison with a standard needle. the rn had no adverse effect on the quality of retrieved oocytes.