IVF and Twins?

gilodser · March 2014

Hi,

I am currently going through the IVF cycle and had a question about twins. In the consent paperwork I filled out it said that the objective of IVF is not to have multiple births, reason being that the pregnancy is at a higher risk when it's more than one baby. I am 39 and my husband 43. I was thinking that it may be advantageous to have twins since I don't plan on doing this much longer. Is this something you can request of the doctor? I had asked him how many embryos he was planning to put in and he said 2-3.

Thanks for your imput :-)

diamante1181 · March 2014

You can, but this is really a personal decision that should not be taken lightly, EVER. The risks far outweigh the benefits, quite honestly. Refer to my siggy for more info. The only time there should be multiple embryos transferred is if the quality is not great. If you reach blastocyst stage and they are of great quality, a responsible doctor will say to transfer one. Nothing is worse than being pregnant with twins, and possibly losing one of them, or in my case, both of them. I will forever advise to transfer one, if you can.

katib77 · March 2014

Because of your age being AMA that is why your doctor is suggesting transferring 2-3. With the hopes that one of them stick around for the long haul. Most IVF patients that are under 35 (AMA) are suggested to only transfer one because they are more likely to become PG with whatever is transferred. As we age, the likelihood goes down, thus why SET is not alway recommended for AMA patients.

It also depends on your DX, how long you've been trying, the quality of the embryos, etc. etc. etc. I've had two losses, done five IUIs, an IVF/FET and nothing. If this next IVF we have more than one to transfer we will transfer two simply because my chances are less than someone five years younger than myself.

LISTEN to your doctor and take their advice. Don't "go for twins" just because you want more than one baby. What you want is a healthy child (or two) but your doctor will know best what to do for your situation and age.

diamante1181 · March 2014

^^ True. I forgot age plays a HUGE role in all this.

ExoticAntibiotic · March 2014

I guess I don't understand your question. Your doctor all ready said he would transfer 2-3 embryos. There isn't anything more he can do to get you pregnant with twins?

brooklynesque · March 2014

***ticker***

Have you sat down and researched the risks of twins yourself? It's not a 2 for 1 special. No reputable RE will shoot to get you pregnant with twins.

scooteriste · March 2014

I don't really understand your question. If your doctor recommended 2-3 embryos to transfer, he is hoping that will result in one baby. You could ask about the potential for twins given your situation but no RE worth their salt will entertain a transfer of more embryos just to increase your chance of twins.

ikrystal · March 2014

*loss mentioned*

I understand you wanting twins. I really, really do. We did a two embryo transfer for our first IVF and we got pregnant with twins. I couldn't have been happier. But then we lost both of them at 22.5 weeks. We have been advised to not do a two embryo transfer again (even though the loss had nothing to do with them being twins). It is just riskier all around. As much as I want twins again, I know the risks are just too high. You should remember, too, that the risks for IVF pregnancies are higher than normal pregnancies. No one is sure why. The chance of miscarriage is higher just by doing IVF. You need to do what is in the best interest of your baby and your pregnancy, and that is just being safer. If your RE wants to transfer 2-3, you may end up with twins anyway. Its unethical to transfer any more than that.

melcass · March 2014

My doctor will only transfer 2 at the most. I was 34, transferred 2 and had twins. My pregnancy was very easy, uncomplicated and went to term....I had to be induced. This is not the case with every twin pregnancy. With my first IVF cycle we transferred 3 and became pregnant with a singleton.

penad5 · April 2014

My RE said that by transferring more than 1 embryo your chance of pregnancy only goes up about 10%... while the chance of twins goes up about 20%

they also gave me a long list of all the complications you are at an increased risk for with twins... the big one that stuck with me was that 1 in 4 twins ends up in NICU

As PP have said age and embryo quality play a big part so listen to your doc... but trying for twins is never a good idea

IVF and Twins?

Re: IVF and Twins?

Choose Another Board

Search Boards