News that the HFEA has ordered both private and NHS infertility clinics to cut their multiple birth rate even further may make you think that this automatically means your chances of a successful pregnancy are further reduced too.
Current guidelines for IVF multiple births limit the number to no more than 15%. But from October this year, the limit is being cut further to just 10%. To comply, fertility clinics have already adopted a Single Embryo Transfer (SET) policy, where only one good quality embryo is transferred per IVF cycle in women with a good prognosis.
The good news is that SET doesn’tadversely affect your chances of IVF success. Statistics have already shown that since the current 15% limit guidelines came into effect in 2007, the number of twins and triplets born through IVF has dropped significantly – yet the overall IVF pregnancy rate has remained steady.
What this proves is that only transferring one embryo doesn’t reduce your chance of pregnancy. If you’re a younger woman, and there is a good chance of IVF success, then SET is the right option for you. Remember that any remaining embryos which are good quality can be frozen and used in future if you wish to extend your family – at Manchester Fertility we have good and consistent pregnancy rates from frozen embryos.
The SET policy and further cut reduction of multiple births to 10 per cent doesn’t mean that no more twins and triplets will be born however. For some women, multiple embryo transfer may offer the best chance simply because of their age and medical history.
At Manchester Fertility we will always discuss your options with you and reach any decision over embryo transfer in consultation with you.
Last updated: 20th February 2012
