The physicians at Reproductive Partners Medical Group encourage the use of Elective Single Embryo Transfer (eSET) for appropriate patients. Those would include women in the younger age group with good embryo quality and a good prognosis for success to consider reducing the chance of twins by transferring a single embryo. Young patients who have used Preimplantation Genetic Screening and are transferring an embryo known to have a normal chromosomal configuration are especially good candidates for eSET.
Reducing the number of multiple pregnancies, even twin pregnancies, is one of the biggest issues in advanced reproductive technology today. In the early days of in vitro fertilization, it was common to transfer a large number of embryos to try to achieve a healthy pregnancy. Today, fewer embryos are required to attain a reasonable chance of success.
Couples with fertility problems often assume that they can double their chances for a healthy baby by transferring two embryos instead of just one. But, data published in the New England Journal of Medicine shows that what they're really doing is increasing their odds of having multiples, which is riskier for the mother and babies alike. In another study (Forman, et al, 2013) a single embryo transfer of an embryo tested by PGS with a normal chromosome component resulted in a pregnancy rate of 60.7%. Transferring two untested embryos resulted in a pregnancy rate of 65.1%. The big difference was in the twin rate: 0% in the single embryo transfer group, 53.4% in the two-embryo transfer group.
Ask your RPMG doctor if you are a candidate for eSET for a safer pregnancy for you and your baby.