ABSTRACT

The very fi rst human pregnancy using in vitro fertilization (IVF) was achieved using laparotomy for obtaining the oocyte by de Kretzer et al. in 1973 (1). Meanwhile, Morgenstern and Soupart in 1972 (2) had described an experimental procedure for both abdominal and vaginal approaches to oocyte recovery, in conjunction with gynecological surgery, using a special oocyte recovery unit (ORU). As laparoscopy was just being applied to gynecology, the laparoscopic approach became routine by the late 1970s (3,4).