Multiple births: Risks, rewards and reality

Fertility treatments, such as in vitro fertilization (IVF), have made possible the gift of children for many people not able to conceive on their own. But as with many medical advances, there comes a delicate balance of risk to reward.

With IVF, women have a much higher risk (1 in 3) of having multiple births – twins, triplets or even more babies. For an infertile couple, the choice of more babies versus no babies may seem like a slam dunk.

But there’s a down side. Doctors know firsthand the toll of difficult pregnancies, problem births and babies struggling with multiple complications.

For this reason, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) recommends that doctors work with women to transfer the fewest number of embryos for the highest likelihood of pregnancy. For a woman under 35 who has good chances of a pregnancy developing, the guideline is to transplant only one embryo. Continue reading »