Elective Single Embryo Transfer

Answered on 9th January 2012 in Treatments

I will be almost 37 when we start our first round of IVF and I'm wondering about what would be best in terms of the number of embryos transferred. I understand all the risks associated with multiples but I also need to weigh that up against the cost implications. If we are fortunate enough to get embryos to blastocyst stage could you tell me what the success rate is for both single and double embryo transfer for someone in my age group? There is also a history of big babies in my family (12lb plus!) - should this be something we need to take in to consideration? Thanks

Our Expert's Answer

This information was published 12 years, 3 months ago and was correct at the time of publication. It may not reflect our current practices or regulations.

Please note that all the answers we give are on a generic basis only, as we cannot provide more in-depth answers without access to your medical history. If you need a more detailed response, tailored to you, we would recommend a consultation with one of our Fertility Specialists for more comprehensive medical advice.

The decision on how many embryos to transfer should be based on your age, previous history and the number and quality of embryos you produce in the IVF process. If your embryos reach the blastocyst stage and you are going to have embryos to frozen you may wish to consider having a single embryo transferred.  This significantly reduces the chance of a multiple pregnancy.  At Manchester Fertility the numbers treated in your age group are too low to quote success rates but the clinical pregnancy rate for blastocyst transfer is 49% for both single and double embryo transfer for all patients under the age of 37.  In our figures, to date, multiple pregnancies have only found in the two embryo transfer group.