The influence of fertility treatment on multiple births

Cindy Farquhar

The goal of infertility treatment is the delivery of a full-term, healthy baby. However, many treatments available to infertile couples carry the risk of multiple births, which can compromise the health of the mother and babies.

Preterm birth occurs in over half of twin pregnancies and in 90% of triplet pregnancies. Babies born prematurely may have respiratory distress and low birth weight, and are more likely to suffer lifelong health problems such as cerebral palsy, blindness and disability. There are increased risks for the mother, too: preeclampsia (high blood pressure), gestational diabetes, anaemia and placental disorder.
Raising multiples also places physical, emotional and financial stress on families and often leads to maternal depression and anxiety. Reducing the number of multiple births is a goal for many clinics offering fertility treatment.

Professor Cindy Farquhar conducted a retrospective audit of women with multiple pregnancies from 1996 – 2001 at National Women’s Hospital. The aim was to determine whether fertility treatment was increasing the proportion of multiple pregnancies. The results showed that multiple pregnancies as a result of fertility treatment had increased over the six years studied. Trials are now underway to compare pregnancy rates for single and double embryo transfer for women undergoing IVF. This could lead to new guidelines for the number of embryos to transfer in IVF, without reducing the pregnancy and live birth rates.

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