In Vitro Fertility Goddess

Fresh Call to Reduce IVF Multiple Births

Wednesday 5, December 2007

Source:  News Agencies, HFEA.

Britain's IVF watchdog is calling for a new national strategy to tackle risks associated with multiple births due to fertility treatment.

Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) expects IVF clinics to reduce the number of twin and triplet pregnancies from one in four to one in ten over three years.

HFEA chairman Walter Merricks said current techniques were leading to hundreds of unnecessary baby deaths.

But increased mortality rates isn't the only risk associated with multiple IVF births.

Twin births can lead to cerebral palsy, low birth weight and premature birth. They also pose long-term risks for children including heart disease and diabetes, and pre-eclampsia for mothers.

Currently, 40% of all IVF babies are either twins or triplets by opposition to only 1% among those conceived naturally.

Walter Merricks also called on the NHS to pay for more IVF cycles to maintain success rates achieved with multiple embryo implants.

However, the HFEA has stopped short of calling for a ban on the use of more than one embryo.

Older women, or those with certain fertility problems may still need more than one embryo implanted to stand a reasonable chance of success.

Patient groups who had feared the regulator would impose stringent targets welcomed the decision.

"Having consulted with our members they were particularly concerned that the choice of how many embryos were allowed to be put back would be taken away from them and there would be blanket guidance that would in effect say in the vast majority of cases only one embryo could be put back," said Keith Reed chief executive of the support group Twins and Multiple Births Association.

For more on this story, read the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority's press release here »