The history of IVF treatment has been 41 years since the birth of the first IVF baby in 1978. Although medical and laboratory technology has continued to improve for decades and the pregnancy rate of IVF treatment has also continued to increase, some myths still exist in patients’ minds. Whether those are first visits to a fertility center or already under treatment, they always ask questions about the number of embryos transferred. The following are two of the most frequently asked questions for you to understand.
Does the pregnancy rate increase with one more embryo transfer?
This is the most frequently-asked question. According to the statistics in Stork Fertility Center, the pregnancy rate of transfer one more embryo will indeed increase, but the increase is only about 5%, and the live birth rate also increase about 5% (Figure 1 below). What is often overlooked is that the 5% increase in pregnancy rate is accompanied by a significant 28% increase in the multiple pregnancy rate (Figure 2 below).
Is it okay if I want to have twins?
Transfer 2 embryos increases the chance of premature birth.
This is another issue that is often mentioned. Since it is the norm for women in modern society to marry late and have children late, having twins in one pregnancy seems to be the perfect solution to the problem of women racing against their childbearing years. However, the enviable chance of getting pregnant with twins is nearly 50% of premature births.
Premature birth has many problems
Although the medical technology in Taiwan is advanced, the survival rate of newborns over 28 weeks is nearly 90%. But more problems with premature babies are the abnormal organ development caused by premature birth, such as abnormal lung diseases, neonatal retinal abnormalities, abnormal gastrointestinal development, and some brain lesions... etc. Most of these complications can be avoided with a full-term delivery.
D5 blastocyst culture/PGT-A (PGS) improves success rate
We believe that every patient who decides to start the IVF treatment wants to bring a healthy baby home as soon as possible. At present, most of the embryos are cultured to the blastocyst stage in the Stork fertility center, which means that after fertilization, the eggs are cultured for 5-6 days. The embryos that survive after 5-6 days of culture are basically the ones that have more developmental potential.
In addition, with third-generation IVF (euploid blastocyst transfer) result in a pregnancy rate of nearly 70% in a single transfer.
Suggested number of transfer without PGT-A
If you have not done PGS, you don’t have to be nervous. In fact, the Taiwan Society for Reproductive Medicine (TSRM) also has some suggestions on the number of embryo transfers: (the figure below) Women under 34 should not transfer more than 2 embryos, 35 to 37years old women are recommended transfer 2 to 3 embryos, 38 to 40 years old for 3 to 4 embryos. If over 41 years old, no more than 4 embryos is recommended. By using the guidelines of the TSRM, it is possible to strike a balance between the pregnancy rate and the number of embryos transferred.
3rd generation plus IVF treatment (IVF3.0+)
In addition to the 3rd generation of IVF ( transfer preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy blastocyst) the 3.0+ treatment is further combined with endometrial receptivity analysis (ERA). In the past, progesterone was always given for 5 days before implantation by doctors’ experience, but it is impossible to locate those patients with a special endometrial implantation window at the first time (such patients are as high as 1/3). With the ERA, it can be accurately calculated how much time of progesterone infiltration is required for the real endometrial implantation window to open. According to statistics, by PGT-A and ERA, transfer of a euploid embryo at the right time, the pregnancy rate is nearly 80%. IVF3.0+ combined with the dynamic monitoring of immunity and thrombosis is currently one of the most recommended treatments for patients who had repeated pregnancy loss in the past.
In the development of IVF treatment so far, in addition to the standard IVF treatment, there are many complementary treatments available for IVF. The most customized treatment design can be chosen according to the different needs of each patient. There is no best treatment but only the most suitable treatment. We also sincerely hope that every patient who wants a child can bring a healthy baby home as soon as possible and happily.
