Were your twins or multiples planned?

[needtobediscreet]

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.

Not routine to do multiple embryo transfer at 30+ afaik.
I get the wanting to maximise chances of success thing, but at my nhs clinic their success rates were actually higher for single embryo transfer.
I guess I just don't understand why things so vary so much between nhs and private.

Even harder to understand the situation in the OP as the friend also had extra embryos to freeze, so it wasn't like it was all or nothing.

Success rates can be higher for single transfer because single transfers are more commonly used for those more likely to be successful e.g younger, no history of failed cycles etc. multiple transfers are more commonly used for older, history of failed cycles etc so it is not a like for like comparison. The success rate for single transfers will be higher because those are the people more likely to get pregnant.

I was treated at two private clinics and 2 was the max permitted till age 40, after that 3. It was up to the individual whether they opted for 1 or 2. Are guidelines now that 2 is only for over 30s?

Give - that makes sense and I know that's also the reason why somE clinics overall success rates are better or worse than others - it depends on the kind of patient they treat, a bit like school exam results being due in part to the intake etc.

I remember when I was having my treatment, being so desperate to get pregnant and thinking two embryos would mean a higher chance of success than one.

My clinic said that on a first cycle and at age 35 or less they'd only really allow more than one embryo to be transferred if they were day 2 or 3 and / or lower quality. I guess my surprise is that in cases where infertility is entirely male factor, and IVF /ICSI has overcome that problem by ensuring fertilisation and the embryos have developed to good grade day 5 blastocysts, clinics allow more than one to be put back on a first treatment cycle. Surely in these cases the chances of twins resulting is much much higher...?

Totally unplanned. Unplanned pregnancy (DD was then 2.5 - we'd imagined 4-5 years between kids, if indeed we had more...) and VERY surprise b/g twins - none in either family and we can both trace back over 200 years.... The best surprise in the world (they're now 6 months) but a big big shock at the 12 week scan

Nope - we were TTC, but conceiving identical twins was a complete surprise!

we also conceived naturally. a complete shock.

I had two (day 6) blasts transferred - age 30, unexplained IF - in a private clinic. Both implanted but one stopped developing at 6 weeks & then I had a PROM & lost the other one at 15 weeks. We couldn't afford another IVF (secondary IF so no NHS funded treatment) so we did an ovulation induction - ended up with three mature follicles at trigger but conceived one baby.

I had a cycle buddy in the US who transferred two blasts & ended up with quads as both embryos split & she ended up with two sets of identical twins!

I was on my last round of fertility treatment (ovulation induction). I gave myself 'extra' FSH to try to stimulate more follicles. We had 3 follicles, I had twins.

So not planned, no, but I helped it along.....

meant to say that at our ages, with our history & transferring two blasts (though they weren't perfect) our clinic estimated a 65% chance of pregnancy (obviously live birth rate lower than that) & a 40% chance of twins.

Hi

Our IVF journey was long and hard but we ended up with twins - boy and girl. They're 19 months old now and hard work but amazing and very special!

If you're interested in my story read my blog at:

mummyofboygirltwins.wordpress.com/

Thanks x

Our beautiful ID boys were a complete surprise. We didn't plan on ever having children so finding out I was pregnant was a shock, let alone being told I was having twins!!! Cherry pie - congratulations, being a twin mummy is the most amazing thing in the world!