IVF Twins Have Greater Risk Of Serious Illness Or Early Death

May 22, 2009 by tanya
Filed under: Baby Health, News

Twins conceived from IVF have been found in a study to be at greater risk of serious illness or dying within their first three years of live than twins which have been conceived naturally.

The study also found that twins born as a result of fertility treatment stay in hospital on average four days longer after the birth. They also have a two-thirds higher chance that they will be admitted to a neo-natal intensive care unit, and of returning to hospital in their first three years.

Researchers at the universities of Western Australia and Oxford also found that IVF twins were more than twice as likely to die either before or just after they were born. They were unable to provide any explanation for their findings.

The findings which were published in the journal Human Reproduction, recommended that couples are made aware of the risks involved with multiple births, and that they should be advised to consider implanting one embryo at a time into the womb.

Presently, between 20 and 30 percent of couples undergoing fertility treatment conceive twins. This compares to just 1 percent of natural conceptions resulting in twins.

IVF Twins are more likely to be non-identical as more than one embryo has been implanted into the mother.

Clinics are now being advised by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority to transfer one embryo per treatment session.

Births of two or more babies have more risks involved as there is a higher chance that the infants will be born premature or underweight. There is also a higher risk of cerebral palsy, congenital heart disease or vision problems.

Mothers face more health complications as a result of multiple-births, and have a higher chance of heavy bleeding, miscarriage, diabetes or pre-eclampsia.

Researcher Michèle Hansen, from the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research in Perth, commented: “Couples undergoing fertility treatment should be aware that, in addition to the known increased . . . risks associated with a twin birth, ART [assisted reproductive technology] twins are more likely than spontaneously conceived twins to be admitted to . . . intensive care and to be hospitalised in their first three years of life.”

The study investigated hospital records of twins born both naturally and from fertility treatment, both of identical and non-identical twins. They also considered factors such as the mothers age, year of birth and number of time the woman had given birth in the past.