Thursday, December 5th, 2013
A rise in the number of multiples–triplets or even more–born in the U.S. is being attributed in a new study to a number of fertility treatments. Though many believe multiple
Thursday, December 5th, 2013
A rise in the number of multiples–triplets or even more–born in the U.S. is being attributed in a new study to a number of fertility treatments. Though many believe multiple births to be a result of multiple embryos being transferred during in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedures, the study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, attributes the phenomenon more to drugs given to women to encourage them to produce more eggs. The Associated Press has more:
Multiple births raise medical risks and hospital bills for moms and babies. Guidelines urging the use of fewer embryos were strengthened following the 2009 “Octomom” case, in which a California woman had octuplets after her doctor transferred 12 embryos made from an IVF treatment.
But most cases of infertility are treated not with IVF but simpler measures such as drugs to make the ovaries produce eggs. The first step often is a pill, Clomid, to spur hormones that aid conception. If that doesn’t work, more powerful drugs can be given in shots, but those bring a much higher risk of multiple eggs being released.
Doctors are supposed to use ultrasound and blood tests to monitor how many eggs are being produced and a