Trends in Fertility Treatments and Multiple Births in the U.S.

Fertility treatments account for 77% of high-order multiple births, and most are the result of non-IVF treatments.

Fertility treatments are associated with increased risk for multiple births. The procedures leading to most multiple gestations are controlled ovarian stimulation (COS) with gonadotropins (generally used together with intrauterine insemination [IUI]) and in vitro fertilization (IVF) in which ≥2 embryos are transferred to the uterus. Investigators analyzed publicly available data to ascertain how fertility treatments have affected multiple-birth rates in the U.S. during the past four decades.

By 2011, an estimated 36% of twin births and 77% of higher-order (≥3) births occurred as a result of fertility treatments. Twin birth rates rose almost twofold between 1971 and 2009. Rates of higher-order births increased 6.7-fold between 1971 and 1998, …

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)

Trends in Fertility Treatments and Multiple Births in the U.S.

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Reviewing Author