Transcript

The practice of single embryo transfer has increased dramatically since 2004 in all age groups undergoing treatment using assisted reproductive technologies or IVF. Ultimately this trend is rooted in the desire to optimize outcomes for patients while reducing risk. A single embryo transfer greatly reduces the risk of multiple gestation such as twin or triplet pregnancies.

Multiple gestations can lead to significant health concerns for both the pregnant person and infants. Risk of multiple gestation can include preeclampsia and gestational diabetes while fetal risks include preterm birth, cerebral palsy and miscarriage. Therefore a healthy singleton pregnancy is the primary goal of treatment with assisted reproductive technologies or IVF.

Over the years improved pregnancy rates with single embryo transfer can be attributed to a number of factors such as improvements in the techniques used in the IVF laboratory to culture and preserve embryos as well as improvements in the techniques used to select the best embryo for transfer.