The objective of this meta-analysis was to evaluate prospective trials of general or locoregional anesthesia on reproductive outcomes (cleavage and pregnancy rate) for in vitro fertilization (IVF). Of 115 published studies retrieved from a search of articles indexed on MEDLINE from 1966 to February 1999, four studies with distinct general and locoregional anesthesia were deemed eligible for meta- analysis. The pooled relative risk and odds ratios were calculated. A test for homogeneity was also performed. The pooled log odds ratio was 1.03 (95% CI 0.90-1.18) in cleavage rate and 0.71 (95% CI 0.47-1.08) in pregnancy rate. Heterogeneity was negative. Cleavage and pregnancy rates were not significantly different in both the general anesthesia and locoregional anesthesia groups. Both anesthetic techniques were favorable to IVF procedure by available published evidence when anesthesia was needed.