ABSTRACT
A decade after the first announcement of a successful human pregnancy and birth after in vitro fertilization (IVF), a major change in the role of ultrasonography (U/S) in IVF treatments can be marked. Pelvic U/S may be performed with the use of either sector or linear scanners, although sector scanners are believed by some to be superior to linear array scanners, especially for the imaging of specific details within laterally positioned organs like the ovaries. The evaluation of the U/S features of spontaneous ovulation is of major importance in IVF. The excellent U/S imaging achieved with the high-frequency (5 to 7.5 MHz) vaginal transducers and scanning performed in close proximity to the ovaries enables precise identification of intraovarian and uterine structures and vessels, allowing better estimation of follicular and endometrial maturation. The advent of the simple, low-cost, and low-risk U/S-guided oocyte pick-ups (OPU) offered an efficient alternative and is established by now as the first-choice technique for OPU.
