A technique for the aspiration of oocytes from human ovarian follicles.

A variety of techniques have been described for the harvest of oocytes from human ovarian follicles. Most of these have used needles with an inside diameter in the range of 1.0 to 1.4 mm. Because of the physical characteristics of preovulatory cumulus mass, it was considered possible that a needle with a somewhat larger inside diameter would be useful. This has proven to be the case. With such a needle, in 18 natural cycles it was possible for these investigators to obtain an oocyte in 17 patients; and in 23 patients with cycles controlled by human menopausal gonadotropin and human chorionic gonadotropin, it proved possible to obtain at least 1 oocyte from 22 patients.