NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The transfer of a single embryo into the uterus decreases the number of twin pregnancies without adversely affecting pregnancy outcomes, according to a report in the current issue of Fertility and Sterility. Several studies have shown similar pregnancy outcomes, but a lower rate of twin births, after the transfer of a single embryo in women under the age of 37 years. Styer and colleagues from Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, compared the pregnancy outcomes of 52 women who underwent in vitro fertilization (IVF) with a single-embryo transfer versus 187 women who underwent a double-embryo transfer. More double-embryo transfer cycles (51 percent) than single-embryo transfer cycles (3. Candidates for the single-embryo transfer may include patients who don't want to risk multiple pregnancies or who have a preexisting medical condition for which a multiple pregnancy would not be safe, the researchers explain. read more

Technorati Tags: transfer, singleembryo, cycles, doubleembryo, pregnancies, pregnancy, pregnancy news