High Cost of Multiple Gestations from Infertility Treatment Can Be Lowered

Greater use of single-embryo transfer and insurance reimbursement have the potential to lower incidence of multiple gestations in IVF cycles.

Sophisticated infertility treatment has given hope to many couples but has also led to a proliferation of multiple gestations. What is the cost of this marked rise? Two studies address this question.

Investigators at a Canadian hospital reviewed records of infants from multiple pregnancies resulting from in vitro fertilization (IVF) or ovulation stimulation who were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Between 2005 and 2007, 17% of NICU admissions were infants from multiple pregnancies following infertility treatment (most after IVF). Extrapolating across Canada, a mandatory policy of single-embryo transfer (SET) would annually prevent 30 to 40 neonatal deaths, 34 to 46 severe intracranial hemorrhages, and 13 to 19 retinal su…

Reviewing Author

Robert W. Rebar, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardMyovant Sciences, Inc.

Editorial BoardsEndoText; Clinical OB/GYN Alert

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesAmerican Society for Reproductive Medicine (Member, Ethics Committee)

Robert W. Rebar, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardMyovant Sciences, Inc.

Editorial BoardsEndoText; Clinical OB/GYN Alert

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesAmerican Society for Reproductive Medicine (Member, Ethics Committee)

High Cost of Multiple Gestations from Infertility Treatment Can Be Lowered

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Reviewing Author