What is the impact of multiple birth on the family?
Apr 16, 2014 · While fertility treatments have helped many people become parents, they commonly result in multiple births, increasing the risk of prematurity, and leading to lifelong complications. But this ...
Can non-ART fertility treatments cause multiple births?
Jan 15, 2010 · The study found that 4.6 percent of live births in 2005 resulted from fertility drug use, a figure 4 times higher than the 1.2 percent of births resulting from ARTs. A total of 22.8 percent of babies born as multiples were conceived using fertility drugs alone. The study authors conclude that more than 190,000 infants per year are conceived ...
Are fertility drugs alone responsible for multiple births?
Half of all twins and 90% of all triplets are born prematurely. Babies born prematurely may have many health problems. Their lungs might not be strong enough, so they might have trouble breathing. The blood vessels in their brains might bleed easily. Many other birth defects are associated with multiple births as well.
How can preterm birth of multiples be prevented?
Dec 04, 2013 · First, the team gathered data on multiple births between the years 1962 and 1966 (before the availability of medical fertility treatments); this data from the 1960s provided a statistical baseline for natural multiple birth rates without medical intervention. Next, the team collected similar data for the years between 1971 and 2011.
What is the problem with multiple births on the infants?
Why do fertility treatments result in multiple births?
Which hormone is responsible for multiple birth?
What are some problems parents might face with multiple births?
What are gonadotropins used for?
How do gonadotropins work?
What does multiple birth mean?
What is the medical term for multiple pregnancies?
Is having twins genetic from father or mother?
How do you treat twins?
When parenting twins, there may be the tendency to always think of them as a unit. Respect individual differences. Form separate expectations around each child's abilities and interests. Support each child's individuality by referring to each child by name - not as "the twins."Aug 15, 2021
Is having twins harder?
How do you deal with triplet babies?
- refer to them by name, rather than as "the twins" or "the triplets"
- avoid dressing them alike as they get older.
- keep their clothes in different drawers.
- give them their own toys.
- give them separate gifts and cakes on their birthday.
Why are multiple births more common?
There are more multiple births today in part because more women are receiving infertility treatment, which carries a risk of multiple pregnancy. However, since the first publication in 1998 of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine’s (ASRM’s) Guidelines on Number of Embryos Transferred, the number of treatment-related pregnancies with triplets or more has decreased dramatically. Also, more women are waiting until later in life to attempt pregnancy, and older women are more likely than younger women to get pregnant with multiples, especially with fertility treatment. Although major medical advances have improved the outcomes of multiple births, multiple births still are associated with significant medical risks and complications for the mother and children. If you are at risk for a multiple pregnancy, this booklet will help you learn how and why multiple pregnancies occur and the unique issues associated with carrying and delivering a multiple pregnancy.
Why is it important to monitor pregnancy during multiple births?
Since preterm birth and growth disturbances are the major contributors to newborn death and disability in multiples, frequent obstetric visits and close monitoring of the pregnancy are needed.
What is the greatest risk of multiple pregnancy?
Preterm labor and birth pose the greatest risk to a multiple pregnancy. Sixty percent of multiples are born prematurely (<37 weeks) compared to about 10% of singleton pregnancies. Feasibility of a vaginal delivery depends on the size, position, and health of the infants, as well as the size and shape of the mother’s pelvic bones. Cesarean section is often needed for twin pregnancies and is expected for delivery of triplets.
How many pregnancies are there for multiples?
Naturally, twins occur in about one in 250 pregnancies, triplets in about one in 10,000 pregnancies, and quadruplets in about one in 700,000 pregnancies. The main factor that increases your chances of having a multiple pregnancy is the use of infertility treatment, but there are other factors.
How long is a singleton pregnancy?
The duration of a normal singleton pregnancy ranges from 37 weeks to 42 weeks from the time of the last menstrual period. Twin pregnancies occasionally progress to 40 weeks but almost always deliver early. As the number of fetuses increases, the expected duration of the pregnancy decreases. The average duration is 35 weeks for twins, 33 weeks for triplets, and 30 weeks for quadruplets.
Why is multifetal pregnancy reduction important?
While multifetal pregnancy reduction carries some risk of a complete miscarriage, it also reduces the chances of extreme premature birth. For more information, see the ASRM Patient Fact Sheet Challenges of Parenting Multiples.
What is it called when a fetus disappears?
The “Vanishing Twin Syndrome”. Sometimes, very early in a twin pregnancy, one of the fetuses “disappears.”. This is referred to as the “vanishing twin syndrome.”. Even after ultrasound has shown heart movement in twins, spontaneous loss of one of the fetuses occurs in up to 20% of twin pregnancies.
What happens if you have more than one baby?
If you are pregnant with more than one baby, you may experience problems during pregnancy. These potential problems could include high blood pressure, diabetes, anemia (low blood count), or too much or too little amniotic fluid (the fluid that surrounds the baby during a pregnancy).
Why do you need selective reduction?
Selective reduction allows you and your doctor to reduce the number of fetuses to one or two. Usually the procedure is done early in the pregnancy to increase the chance of a healthy and successful pregnancy. Choosing to do this procedure is difficult. Couples who are thinking about this option should talk to a counselor.
Why do triplets have problems?
Twins, triplets, and other multiples are more likely to have problems with their brain development and nerves if they are born early. One of the more common problems is cerebral palsy, an abnormality of the brain. Other problems associated with multiple births may not become known for many years after delivery.
What is it called when a baby is born too early?
The babies could be born too early, which is called premature birth . Half of all twins and 90% of all triplets are born prematurely. Babies born prematurely may have many health problems. Their lungs might not be strong enough, so they might have trouble breathing.
Can you get pregnant with more than one follicle?
Depending on the type of fertility treatment used, if more than one follicle is produced, the risk of multiple gestation can be as much as 1 out of 3 women who become pregnant.
Can a triplet have heart problems?
This is particularly true if they share a placenta, the tissue that carries nutrients from the mother to the baby. The babies may not grow as fast as normal. If the multiple babies share important blood vessels through a common placenta, they may develop heart problems or die. Twins, triplets, and other multiples are more likely to have problems ...
Can you get pregnant with multiple eggs?
Infertility treatments that cause multiple eggs to develop make it more likely that you will become pregnant with twins, triplets, or more. This is called multiple gestation.
How does having multiple births affect a family?
The incidence of stress and depression suffered by families with multiple births, and mothers in particular, is well documented, especially in the case of triplets. The effects include more maternal depression, less possibility for mothers to work outside the home, and an increased rate of divorce. This can only be compounded by the possibility of having one (or more) disabled child (ren). The financial and practical implications of looking after a large family add to the problems.
What are the rights of women during multiple pregnancy?
The principle of bodily integrity and the principle of reproductive autonomy give every woman the right to decide for herself whether or not to be submitted to a termination of pregnancy. In the case of a multiple pregnancy, the woman should be fully informed about the risks for her, the pregnancy and the remaining embryos when an embryo reduction is performed. Every woman, however, should also have the right to have a reduction if she estimates the social, psychological and medical risks for herself or the offspring as too high. Physicians who have conscientious objections about abortion should mention this to the patients before the start of the treatment and should take these objections into account when deciding how many embryos to replace. They also have a duty to refer to another physician if this procedure must be considered.
How many embryos are transferred in IVF?
In IVF, it is clear that multiple pregnancies are due to multiple embryo transfers. The French data show that PR increased between one and three transferred embryos (from 10 to 30%), but not afterwards, since more than three embryos are transferred mostly in couples with a poor chance of pregnancy. At the same time, twin rates increase from 1 to 31% and triplet rates from 0 to 6%. Moreover, although the pregnancy rate does not increase for transfers of four, five or six embryos, multiplicity continues to increase (up to 45% for twins and 16% for triplets). In the world data, when countries were grouped according to the average number of transferred embryos, the twin rate was increased from 22% in the countries where this number was <2.7 embryos to 32% in all the others. The increase in triplets occurred continuously, from 0.5, 2.7, 4.5 and 6%, if the average number of transferred embryos was respectively <2.24, 2.25–2.49, 2.50–2.99 or ≥3.00. When analysing the results in a multivariate model including most of the risk factors, it becomes clear that, if the reference category is two embryos, the odds ratio of pregnancy increase slightly compared with those of multiple pregnancy, and this is particularly true for triplets and higher order pregnancies.
How much risk of preterm birth for twins?
Furthermore, the same risks are also increased for twins compared with singletons. According to the above categories, twins have a 6.5 and 5‐fold risk of preterm delivery (respectively 1.2, 7.8 and 42.5 before 28, 33 and 37 weeks gestation), a 2.5‐fold risk for SGA (42.5%) and a 3‐fold risk for perinatal mortality (20.8/1000 births).
Why do people want more than one embryo?
Financial pressure is often the main reason for patients to ask for the transfer of more than one embryo. This implies that less fortunate couples are indirectly forced to take the risk of a multiple pregnancy. There is evidence that the incidence of multiple pregnancies is lower in countries who provide public subsidies for ART. Coverage by the public health care system should be available for a reasonable number of IVF cycles, both in order to reduce this discrimination and to protect future child (ren).
What is the responsibility of a physician?
A physician has the professional responsibility not to cause unnecessary harm. This responsibility extends both to the woman and to the future children. This principle largely justifies the priority that should be given to the reduction of the number of multiple pregnancies above the increase in pregnancy rates.
How many children have been born through IVF?
Overall, more than 1 million children in the world have been conceived through this technique since 1978. However there are far too many multiple pregnancies, with their intrinsic high risk for the resulting children.
Introduction
Twins--The Most Common Multiple
Duration of Multiple Pregnancies
Complications of Multiple Pregnancies
Prevention of Multiple Pregnancy
Carrying A Multiple Pregnancy
Conclusion
- The objective of infertility treatment is the birth of a healthy child. In a small percentage of patients, treatment results in multiple pregnancy that may place the mother and the babies at increased risk for an unhealthy outcome. Since multiple pregnancies and their complications are an inevitable risk of fertility therapies, education about thes...
Glossary