Transferring one embryo at a time actually increases pregnancy rates

Transferring one embryo at a time actually increases pregnancy rates 

This is a great example of how IVF patients can have their cake and eat it too , because transferring only one embryo at a time ( also known as SET or single embryo transfer) minimizes the risk of a multiple pregnancy, while actually increasing the chances of getting pregnant !

Let me explain.

Patients and doctors often get confused because they intuitively know that if you transfer two embryos at a time, the pregnancy rate in that cycle is better than transferring just one
embryo . While this is true , that is very short sighted as well .

Let’s assume you have two top quality embryos. You have two options. You can transfer both of them at a time, in which case there are 3 possibilities. 

1. Neither of them implant , in which case you have no embryos left , and you need to start a fresh cycle over again , which is an expensive exercise , and full of uncertainty 

2. One possibility ( with the lowest probability) is that both implant , In which case you end up with twins . This sounds like a very good outcome, because all IVF patients dream about an “instant family” ! Yes, twins look very cute when they are toddlers, and dressing them up in the same clothes is fun, but the reality is that the risk of premature labour in a twin pregnancy is much higher than with a singleton . If you do end up with a preterm birth, both your babies will end up in the NICU – the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, which means you will have to spend a lot of money, and this stay creates considerable anxiety and tension. What’s worse is that their future development is often compromised , because many premature babies have long-term sequelae as a result of spending time in the incubator . This is why it is much safer to have just a singleton pregnancy .

3. Only one embryo implants, but then this means you have been lucky ! Why take a risk by transferring two at a time , when you would have been much better off transferring one and freezing the second ! Even if you don’t get pregnant in the fresh cycle with that single embryo , you still you’re your second frozen embryo which you can transfer in the next cycle. Not only is the pregnancy rate with this frozen embryo as good as with a fresh transfer, the cost is much less.

This option allows you to have your cake and eat it too , so don’t listen to any doctor who pressurizes you to transfer more than one embryo just because they aren’t confidence about the quality of the embryos their lab creates, and they want to artificially bump up their pregnancy rates at your expense !

Need help in getting pregnant ? Please send me your medical details by filling in the form at www.drmalpani.com/free-second-opinion so that I can guide you !