When it comes to In Vitro Fertilization, the doctor applies an infertility treatment to the patient to increase the chances of pregnancy. But this might not be enough, and in many cases, more than one embryo is implanted to further the possibilities even more.
This is when the chances of having twins with this type of assisted reproductive technology increase. There is research done with the method of implanting only one embryo, called elective single embryo transfer, that may help to reduce the risks.
Read further so you can know what the risks are of having twins with IVF.
The Risk Of Having Twins
This is the first risk you need to look at when you are preparing yourself for the IVF treatment, and that is that you may have twins. When your doctor provides you with infertility treatment, the chances are increased that you will have more than one baby.
The other risk is that if you insist or it may be necessary to implant more than one embryo, the chances are increased for having twins. The research found that infants conceived with assisted reproductive technology, up to 43 percent were twins, which is much higher than natural conceiving.
So the chances of women having twins with IVF are much higher, and you need to look at the risks involved with carrying twins.
Early Birth
Premature birth is one of the greatest risks of twins with In Vitro fertilization. In most cases of IVF, it is the patient who insists on having more than one embryo implanted to improve the chances of conceiving.
That is especially the case with people who had already tried it and were unsuccessful in conceiving. Older couples also have an increased chance of prem births. The chances of early delivery for IVF with more than one embryo implanted is as high as 60 percent.
The premature birth can happen quite early at around 35 weeks, but premature births as early as 28 weeks have been reported.
Low Weight At Birth
More than 50 percent of twins are born weighing less than 5 – 5 and a half pounds, which places them at risk. These risks may include various health problems during the newborn period for most babies born with too light a weight.
The risks increase drastically for those babies born before 32 weeks and weigh less than 3 pounds. There are also the chances of lasting problems such as mental retardation, vision, and hearing loss, or even cerebral palsy.
These are only a few of the things that may go wrong with twins born at very low birth weight.
Cesarean Sections
In most cases where women are carrying twins, they will be more likely to receive a cesarean section instead of giving normal birth. This may also increase the chances of hemorrhage during the delivery, or even after delivering the babies, putting their lives at risk.
When a cesarean section is applied, the recovery period after birth will also be much longer for the mother. Many people may not have a problem with delivering their babies with a cesarean section, but some may want to experience natural delivery.
Sometimes these risks can not be avoided, but it would be ideal if this can be different for the sake of the baby and the mother.
Pre-Eclampsia
Women who are carrying twins will have a much larger chance of developing pre-eclampsia complications after about 20 weeks into the pregnancy. The symptoms are generalized swelling, which is mostly caused by a combination of high blood pressure and protein in the urine.
The swelling can be very dangerous for both the mother and the babies, potentially causing damage to the liver and kidneys. The risk factors can be kidney disease and vitamin D deficiency, and the best treatment is to deliver the baby.
After the delivery of the baby, it may take quite a while to get better and to be healthy again.
Conclusion
As you can see, the chances of having twins with IVF might increase drastically, so you need to consult your doctor for alternatives. It is much safer to have just one embryo implanted, but the chances of conceiving might be less.
