As in vitro fertilization has become an increasingly common fact of life for those seeking to start a family, so have twins, triplets – or more, thanks to the transplantation of multiple embryos. The CDC reports that the twin birth rate rose 76 percent from 1980 to 2009 while triples and higher-order multiple births rose a whopping 315 percent.
But the tide of multiple births may be ebbing as an increasing number of women are opting to transfer a single embryo during IVF.
According to experts, women usually have two or more embryos transplanted in order to boost the chances for a baby. (In the rare case of “Octomom” Nadya Suleman, eight embryos were implanted, resulting in eight live births.)
Thanks to better technology, though, single-embryo transplants are now almost as effective as multiple-embryo transplants – with far fewer health risks to both mom and baby. High-profile cases like Suleman’s have also raised awareness about the risk of implanting too many embryos.
“It’s something that will contribute to healthier pregnancies,” says Dr. Louis Weckstein, owner of the Reproductive Science Center, a fertility clinic operating in the San Francisco Bay area for 30 nearly years. “We educate patients that transferring one embryo in select situations is almost equally as successful as multiple transfers, and there are a number of studies largely confirming this.”
