REUTERS – Having twins as a results of in vitro fertilization (IVF) carries higher risks of complications for both mother and babies than having two single babies from separate IVF procedures, according to a Swedish study.
The extra concerns that come with multiple births are nothing new. Btu even as many fertility clinics have stopped regularly transferring more than one embryo, debate has continued over whether having twins through IVF is really a bad thing for couples desperate for children.
“The neonatal and maternal outcomes were dramatically better for women undergoing two IVF singleton pregnancies compared with one IVF twin pregnancy after double-embryo transfer,” wrote lead researcher Antonina Sazonova in the journal Fertility and Sterility.
“These results support single-embryo transfer to minimize the risks associated with twin pregnancies,” added Sazonova of Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg, Sweden.
The researchers analyzed data from fresh and frozen embryo transfers done at Swedish IVF clinics between 2002 and 2006. Those records included 991 women who ultimately gave birth to twins after a double embryo transfer and 921 mothers with two children born through separate rounds of IVF. Read full article.
