Twins After IVF: Double Joy or Increased Risk?

For many couples struggling with infertility, the idea of having twins seems like an ideal way to complete their family quickly. However, Multiple Pregnancies (twins, triplets, or more) are medically considered a complication of Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART). Our ultimate goal is not just a positive pregnancy test, but a healthy mother and a healthy baby.

Maternal Complications

Carrying more than one fetus puts a significant strain on a woman’s body. Key risks include:

• Preeclampsia: High blood pressure that can lead to kidney and liver damage.
• Gestational Diabetes: Blood sugar issues that appear during pregnancy.
• Preterm Labor: Delivery before 37 weeks, which is common in multiple births.
• Postpartum Hemorrhage: Severe bleeding after delivery, which is more likely after a twin birth.

Risks to the Babies

Multiple embryos often compete for resources in the womb, which can lead to:

Defining “True Success” in IVF

In modern fertility practice, “Success” is defined by BESST (Birth of an Emancipated Singleton, Sustained and Term). This means delivering one healthy baby at full term. To achieve this, we focus on:

• eSET (Elective Single Embryo Transfer): Choosing the single best embryo for transfer.
• Advanced Blastocyst Culture: Allowing embryos to develop to Day 5 to select the most viable one.
• Cryopreservation: Freezing additional healthy embryos for future use rather than transferring them all at once.

Making an Informed Decision

It is natural to want to maximize your chances, but transferring more embryos does not necessarily mean a better outcome—it often just means a riskier one. Before your transfer, we will carefully evaluate the quality of your embryos and your physical health to determine the safest path forward.