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Multiple births

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Original poster

Were your twins or multiples planned?

38 replies

needtobediscreet · 01/03/2014 13:40

Just wondering as a friend recently underwent IVF (ICSI) and was allowed by the clinic to transfer two day 5 blastocysts (she has more frozen) on her first cycle. She's now pregnant with twins. The couple's infertility was entirely male factor according to the tests. I was amazed that the clinic (private) allowed them to transfer two in the circumstances. Interested to know how common or not this is. We did IVF too. Our NHS clinic only allowed one blastocyst on first (successful) cycle. In our case infertility is unexplained. Me and friend did IVF at the same age.

OP posts:
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Original poster
needtobediscreet · 01/03/2014 13:48

I mean planned in the sense that you transferred more than one good embryo through assisted conception.

OP posts:
Keepthechangeyoufilthyanimal · 01/03/2014 14:20

We had IVF/ICSI funded by the NHS and the policy in our area is the NHS will only allow single embryo transfer.
However although the private clinic we had our treatment at recommends single transfers, it is not a forced rule if you are self funding.
We have 3 frozen embryos stored with them so if we go for a second cycle down the line we might transfer 2.
I think it all depends on whether your friend was self or NHS funded, the individual clinic and areas policy.

Keepthechangeyoufilthyanimal · 01/03/2014 14:21

Meant to add our fertility issues are completely male factor too but don't think that necessarily makes a difference

Expectingtwins1975 · 01/03/2014 14:24

I only had 2 embryos tht fertilised - the clinic were the ones who suggested/convinced me to transfer both back in

Twicethehugs · 01/03/2014 15:49

We had one 5 day blastocyst transferred - now have identical twins!

HighVoltage · 01/03/2014 21:30

Our clinic recommended by age.

For DS1 I was 36 (and it was our first try) so they recommended I only transfer one embryo (we froze two).

For the DTs I was 39 so they recommended transferring two as it significantly increased my chances of being pregnant (from something like 10% to 35% chance in my case).

HighVoltage · 01/03/2014 21:30

Twicethehugs - how wonderful!

ceeveebee · 01/03/2014 21:43

We had 4 failed IUI attempts and 1 failed IVF attempt with a single day 3 embryo transfer, and none frozen. So on our second cycle (the last one that NHS would fund)we had ICSI and went to day 5 blastocyst and we now have 2.3 yo boy/girl twins. So whilst not exactly planned, we knew it was our last chance and decided the risk of twins was far outweighed by our desire to have children.

Bodeccia · 01/03/2014 22:09

First round of IVF we had two 3 day embryos put back (NHS), result was our dd1. Second round of IVF we had two 5 day blastos put back (private) and I'm now 33 weeks pregnant with non identical twins. Advice on the second cycle was that neither embryo was of the quality to freeze, I was older, so less chance that both would take.

Still can't believe I'm going to be a mother to twins, feel really blessed :)

SorryInAdvance · 01/03/2014 22:32

I'm expecting fraternal twins and nope, it was just by chance. Although had problems TTCing with the first due to a medical problem, we were very lucky to be able to conceive easily this time, without treatment.

Twicethehugs · 02/03/2014 09:22

Thanks high voltage! it was a nice surprise especially as we'd been told IVF was v unlikely to work.

Mosman · 02/03/2014 15:02

DH and I had no fertility issues at all, he'd had the snip so we had icsi anyway two embryos and only got one baby. There's no rhyme or reason

neversleepagain · 02/03/2014 18:42

17 month old fraternal twins by chance (well hereditary actually)

toomuchtooold · 03/03/2014 06:45

Up to the age of 40 you're allowed to transfer two embryos (after 40 you can transfer 3). All clinics will advise you to transfer only one embryo because of the medical risks associated with having twins but only the NHS clinics are able to make it a condition of your treatment. Basically, your friend paid the money so she got to take the choice.

NoIamAngelaHernandez · 03/03/2014 06:49

I didn't have IVF but I was on my last cycle of induced ovulation after 7 years of ttc. I increased the dose slightly on the last cycle and had 3 follicles instead of one. I got pregnant and had fraternal twins.

ThisIsYourSong · 03/03/2014 06:51

We went through a private IVF clinic and were told they would only let us have one embryo put back, I was 35 at the time. However at transfer we only had two embryos remaining and one wasn't 'good enough' to freeze so we had both put back.

Original poster
needtobediscreet · 03/03/2014 13:44

That's what I thought toomuch.

OP posts:
toomuchtooold · 03/03/2014 20:22

I read the HFEA website guidance and they said that they can impose a limit on the number of multiples that a given clinic has, so private also has some limitations but it's not like the NHS where they can dictate. We were "strongly advised" not to transfer two (i.e. likelihood of twins very high, which we knew, and we did it anyway, and we have twins, and I'm really glad that a) they have a sibling and b) I don't have to go back, so ner to my clinic) but as I had a chromosomal abnormality and was a bit of an interesting case I think they just let us get on with it.

When we were doing it in 2011 it was still believed that for a given embryo, the best chance was to be transferred during the fresh cycle. But since then there's been a big meta-analysis published (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23040524) that suggests that actually it's better to be transferred in a frozen cycle. So you don't lose anything by transferring one at a time (except money and more importantly, time). TBH if that had come out before I had my IVF I would have just transferred the one, but we thought we were maximising the chances for our two embryos. In any case they're hale and hearty and just gone to bed now, thank Christ. I'm knackered. That's the other thing I totally forgot to factor in.

cherrypieandicecream · 17/03/2014 18:48

We had a single 5 day blast transferred, went for first scan today and found out it has split into identical twins....bit of a shock!

givemeaclue · 17/03/2014 18:51

Yes planned, via Ivf, 4th cycle

givemeaclue · 17/03/2014 18:52

Just to ask, why are you amazed, and are you the same age as your friend?

stuckindamiddle · 17/03/2014 19:06

I'm amazed because:

  • it was their first IVF cycle;
  • HFEA guidance strongly favours single embryo transfer due to the risks for mother and baby associated with multiples;
  • their infertility is entirely male factor therefore no reason to think that a pregnancy wouldn't result from transfer of a single high quality blastocyst embryo; and
  • NHS treatment generally doesn't allow more than one high quality embryo to be transferred in the circumstances.

Yes, I am older than her and was older when we did our treatment than she was when she had hers.

stuckindamiddle · 17/03/2014 20:36

Sorry that message was muddled and only partly posted.

I meant to say MY friend is younger - we've both done IVF in different clinics. (I've obviously no idea if I'm older or younger than the OP's friend!) My friend's partner had zero sperm and they chose to go private as they definitely wanted more than one transferred to increase their chances overall and the NHS clinic had said they would only transfer one embryo each time. ( Maybe our friend is the same person OP, as circumstances sound similar!! )

givemeaclue · 17/03/2014 21:04

I think is normal if over 30 to be able to have two. Plus private treatment is expensive so need to maximise chances of success.

ceeveebee · 17/03/2014 21:44

Cherry pie - congratulations!