Embryo Transfer

How Many Embryos Should You Transfer?
(Related to the octomom story)

While thankful that with excellent medical care, multiple pregnancies of the type from this story can have a good outcome, there are extreme risks with these multiple pregnancies. Premature delivery, complications after birth, risk to the mother, neurological or medical problems from prematurity of this type are frequent.

Beyond the immediate birth effects to the child or mother, long term issues of marital satisfaction or higher incidence of divorce in some of these families are also known. The physicians at Fertility Specialists of Houston (FSH) have a long, experienced track record of attempting to limit multiple pregnancies. As evidenced by annual statistics published by the American Society of Reproductive Medicine and other governmental agencies, our physicians have continued to follow national guidelines established for monitoring patients doing varying types of fertility enhancing services, and especially, with in-vitro fertilization (IVF). Though couples are often focused on "getting pregnant" primarily, the physicians at FSH have continually focused on the most important goal: pregnancy with a good long-term outcome.

The medical literature, news reports, and others have often focused on "medical triumph" stories like this, without addressing the issue that many, if not most other couples, with these type of pregnancy have not had good outcomes for all their children. At FSH, we are committed to using the most innovative, effective tools to help couples have their dream for a pregnancy come to pass, but, coupled with the knowledge that excessive multiple pregnancies may change to story from a "medical triumph", to a "medical tragedy".

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