This change in policy is intended to encourage best practice in clinics and so reduce the number of multiple births resulting from in vitro fertilisation. Multiple births are associated with premature birth, low birth weight babies, a higher rate of stillbirth and neonatal death and long term disability such as cerebral palsy.
In addition to the increased health risks to the babies, there is also increased risk for the mother including complications during pregnancy and stress and exhaustion due to coping with more than one baby. There is little benefit in replacing more than two embryos and there can often be considerable physical, emotional and financial costs. Can we trust these facts and figures?
Questions to ask your doctor at every stage of IVF treatment: free downloadable guide. This downloadable guide contains questions that will help you understand the process better, get the answers you deserve, and feel more in control of the situation and your rights as a patient. As a result, the benefits of transferring two embryos are considered to outweigh the risks. In the UK, women under the age of 40 are legally allowed to have a maximum of two embryos transferred. Women over the age of 40 can have up to three.
If there's anything I've missed, or anything I've overcomplicated, please do contact me and let me know! How many embryos should you transfer for IVF? While he was kidding about FOUR embryos, he was keen on the idea of two. The number of embryos that will be transferred should be discussed before treatment starts.
If any suitable embryos are left over, they may be frozen for future IVF attempts. The HFEA has more on decisions to make about your embryos. Around the time your partner's eggs are collected, you'll be asked to produce a fresh sperm sample. The sperm are washed and spun at a high speed so the healthiest and most active sperm can be selected.
If you're using donated sperm, it's thawed before being prepared in the same way. Once the embryos have been transferred into the womb, you'll be advised to wait around 2 weeks before having a pregnancy test to see if the treatment has worked. Some clinics may suggest carrying out a normal urine pregnancy test at home and letting them know the result, while others may want you to come into the clinic for a more accurate blood test.
This 2-week wait can be a very difficult period because of the anxiety of not knowing whether the treatment has worked. Some people find it the hardest part of the treatment process. During this period, you may find it useful to speak to a counsellor through the fertility clinic, or to contact other people in a similar situation to you through the HealthUnlocked IVF community.
If you do become pregnant, ultrasound scans will be carried out during the following weeks to check things are progressing as expected. You'll then be offered the normal antenatal care given to all pregnant women. Unfortunately, IVF is unsuccessful in many cases and you should try to prepare yourself for this possibility. You may be able to try again if treatment doesn't work, although you shouldn't rush straight into it. You may find counselling or fertility support groups helpful during this difficult time.
Read more about the support available during IVF. Page last reviewed: 18 October Next review due: 18 October For women Step 1: suppressing the natural menstrual cycle You're given a medicine that will suppress your natural menstrual cycle. Step 2: helping your ovaries produce more eggs Once your natural cycle is suppressed, you take a fertility hormone called follicle stimulating hormone FSH.
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