Those who experience infertility are accustomed to risks that surround pregnancy. Ensuring a successful pregnancy, and the delivery of a healthy baby can often seem too much to hope for. After all of the tests, procedures, hormones, and everything that goes into treating infertility, the most precious thing you can realize-conceiving and carrying a baby to term-becomes your focus, and your most ardent hope.
One way to improve your odds for a successful outcome is by transferring a single embryo, as opposed to multiple embryos. The reason behind this practice is clear: the opportunity to deliver a healthy baby, and less risk to the mother during pregnancy and birth. With single embryo transfer your hopes and dreams have a better chance at becoming reality.
The dangers surrounding multiple embryo transfer are very real. There is an increased risk of miscarriage, labor complications are more common, and the threat of infant mortality, especially due to complications surrounding premature birth, is much stronger. For your own health, as well as the future of your family, single embryo transfer proves a better option.
Many future parents believe their odds for delivery of a healthy baby improve with the transfer of multiple embryos. Decreasing the multiple embryo transfer associated with IVF, however, does decrease those conditions associated with twins, triplets and so forth, which can occur when more than a single embryo is transferred.
Why You Need to Rethink Multiple Embryo Transfer
The odds of premature birth are significantly higher when there are multiple babies. Overall, preterm birth affects roughly ten percent of all babies. The number of twins born before term is more than 50%, and those odds climb with triplets, quadruplets, etc. Preterm birth is identified as birth that occurs before 37 weeks gestation.
For babies born early, there is a significant risk for health complications, some of them lifelong. Developmental delay, lung issues, heart complications, and many other conditions can afflict a baby born prior to 40 weeks gestation. Premature babies, because they have not had time to develop, are at a much greater risk for mortality.
The care required for premature babies can be extreme. This can be ongoing, and quite taxing for the parents, and child. By eliminating the chance for multiples you eliminate much of the risk for premature birth.
In Addition to The Risk For Premature Birth
Preterm birth is only one of the many risks associated with carrying multiple babies. There are other risks involved to both the babies, and the mother. If you are carrying more than one baby, you’re at greater risk for:
- Gestational Diabetes
- Gestational Hypertension
- Anemia
- Miscarriage
- Stillbirth
- Placental Problems, such as Twin-to-Twin-Transfusion
- Abnormal Amounts of Amniotic Fluid
- Tangled Umbilical Cord
- Hemorrhage postpartum
- Cesarean Delivery
What You Can Do to Ensure a Successful Outcome
There are many ways to improve your chances, lower your risks, and ensure a safe and healthy pregnancy for mom and baby. First, by employing single embryo transfer you’ve already lowered many risk factors. Preimplantation Genetic Testing, or PGT, is a wise endeavor to assist you in achieving the optimal outcome and lowering the number of embryos transferred. PGT can be costly and is not 100% accurate, but still the best way to differentiate the normal embryos from the abnormal ones.
PGT is essentially testing of the embryos’ DNA to look for chromosomal and genetic abnormalities which could result in a pregnancy that isn’t viable. On the 5th or 6th day after fertilization DNA is biopsied for potential abnormalities. Then, within 5-7 business days, your test results will be available.
When you’re dealing with infertility, you want the best possible opportunity to achieve a healthy pregnancy and grow you family. Single embryo transfer, especially when combined with PGT, offers you that opportunity. It’s a better way to make your hopes and dreams a reality.
Image: Pixabay
