IFV Risks

Pregnancy-Related Complications of IVF

Multiple Pregnancy

Multiple pregnancies (twins, triplets or more) may occur in 25% to 35% of IVF cycles. The majority of multiple pregnancies are twins; however, 5-10% of pregnancies may be complicated with triplets or more. Multiple pregnancies are associated with an increased risk of premature birth, which may result in fetal respiratory, neurological, growth, and gastrointestinal complications. Multiple pregnancies are also more likely to require cesarean deliveries and be associated with an increased frequency of hypertension, diabetes and hemorrhage during pregnancy.

For these reasons, your physician will discuss with you an appropriate number of embryos to transfer. This number depends on a variety of factors including the age of the mother, the quality of the embryos, and other medical and personal factors. Inherent in the decision of how many embryos to transfer are the couple’s attitudes regarding multifetal reduction.

In this process, the number of fetuses is reduced by termination in the uterus. This procedure is considered when the number of fetuses is high enough to substantially increase the risk of severe prematurity. Fetal reduction lowers that risk, often allowing the remaining 1 or 2 fetuses to reach a healthy state of maturity prior to delivery.

In a small number of cases, multifetal reduction may itself result in the loss of all the fetuses. Should the need arise to consider this therapy, we work with a team of physicians with great experience and expertise in fetal reduction. If you believe that you would not consider fetal reduction as an option in cases of high-order multiple pregnancy, it is imperative that you discuss your feelings with your physician prior to embryo transfer.

Birth Defects

There have been some reports that couples suffering from infertility might be more likely to have children with birth defects than couples without infertility. In comparison to infertile couples that ultimately conceive naturally, it is unclear whether or not the use of fertility medications or IVF increases the risk of birth defects. Some data suggest a small increase in the frequency of certain urogenital, neurological, cardiac, and musculoskeletal defects in babies conceived by IVF in comparison to babies born to normal fertile couples. Also, IVF babies may be at a higher risk of being born at low birth weights. Despite these reports, the vast majority of babies conceived by the IVF process appear to be healthy. Further studies are needed to better determine the true risks to the fetus associated with the IVF process and to determine if such risks are due to the IVF process or solely a reflection of the underlying conditions that caused the infertility in the couple in the first place.

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