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0 Single Embryo Transfer in IVF
While assisted reproductive technology (ART) continually improves, offering patients better and better pregnancy rates, we still struggle with the issue of multiple gestation.
We, like our patients, want the absolute best possible success rate with in vitro fertilization (IVF), but we have to weigh this against the risks of multiple births. While it’s wonderful to see all the healthy twins strolling the mall and playgrounds, many twins are born prematurely and suffer all the consequences of early birth.
In our effort to provide patients with a healthy, term baby, we are strongly recommending single embryo transfers in patients who are good candidates for success with just one embryo. While this does decrease the rate of pregnancy compared to a transfer of two embryos, the health risks associated with multiple births are paramount.
Interestingly, it’s not only reproductive endocrinologists and patients who are striving to achieve this singleton outcome. nsurance companies have come on board. One particular company recently decided to give patients complete coverage for frozen embryo transfer cycles that follow a single embryo transfer in a fresh IVF cycle. Please talk with your fertility doctor about what makes the most sense for you and ask the question about whether a single embryo transfer is an option for you.
Natalie Cekleniak, M.D.Natalie A. Cekleniak, M.D., joined the Institute for Reproductive Medicine and Science in 2000 and currently serves as Practice Director. She also holds a position as Director of Resident Education for the obstetrics and gynecology resident rotation in reproductive endocrinology and infertility at Saint Barnabas Medical Center.
Dr. Cekleniak’s areas of clinical interest include embryology, age-related infertility, and diminished ovarian reserve. Her research has focused on the maturation of human eggs in the laboratory, and she in the principal author of one of the seminal research papers in the field of infertility. Dr. Cekleniak’s professional affiliations include the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, and the Society of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility.
