Endometriosis may contribute to oocyte retrieval-induced pelvic inflammatory disease: report of eight cases

Purpose: Pelvic inflammatory disease is a rare complication of transvaginal oocyte retrieval. It results in failure of assisted reproductive procedure. Patients: During a 6-year period, 5958 transvaginal ultrasound-guided oocyte retrievals resulted in 10 cases of acute pelvic inflammatory disease (0.12%). Results: Eight of the 10 patients were diagnosed infertile because of endometriosis. Two patients had mild ovarian, three had stage III, and two had stage IV endometriosis. One patient had a 3-4 cm ovarian endometrioma. After treatment, no mortality was encountered among the 10 patients, although none of them conceived. Conclusion: This observation supports the previous reports that endometriosis can raise the risk of pelvic inflammatory disease after oocyte retrieval. More vigorous antibiotic prophylaxis and better vaginal preparation are recommended when oocyte pickup is performed in patients with endometriosis.