5 replies to this topic

[manitobamama]

My dr has suggested I do a 1 emby transfer at 5 days instead of 2 at 3 days.
He stated it would reduce my risk of twins and would be just a likely to produce a positive result for me. He also said they do this with patients who have a good chance at IVF and that it is the new way of doing things.
Any thoughts?

[Lilygirl2727]

I have had 4 BFP IVF cycles. One of them, I transferred 3 embryos and ended up with twins when 2 of them implanted. One of them I transferred 2 embryos and ended up with identical twins when one of them implanted and divided into 2. (I later miscarried them.) The other two, I transferred 2 embryos and only one implanted so I had singleton pregnancies. So, basically twins are a possibility no matter how many you implant. And I have never understood why they say your chances are just as good with one embryo instead of 2. With my singleton BFP's, what if I had transferred only one embryo, and that one was the one that didn't make it. I wouldn't have gotten pregnant. But because I transferred 2, I found success because I had double the chance.
So basically, yes, transferring 2 does increase your chance of twins obviously. But I don't agree that transferring one gives you the same odds as transferring 2. If I were you, I would just weigh the pros and cons. I am pregnant with twins now and on bedrest, and I will admit........it is rough. Much rougher than I thought it would be. But I wouldn't go back and change things if I could. If you are okay with having twins, and your doc says there is no medical reason why you shouldn't have twins, I would transfer 2 if I were you. But its up to you and whatever feels right for you and your DH.

[Emily81]

My RE would have prefered for me to have transferred 1(SET) but I chose to transfer 2 on Day 3, mostly b/c even if I got pg with twins I would never regret the decision to transfer 2. However if I transferred one and didn't get pg I would regret not transferring two. Personally I would opt for two even at 5days..Another thing I considered is that the odds for fresh cycles are ALOT higher than frozen cycles, so I preferred to have them transferred rather than frozen. I personally didn't have any to freeze anyway, just the 2 we transferred. Good luck with your decision and your cycle!

[feydruss]

I think a lot of doctors are trying eSET with blasts because the rates of success can be higher without the complications of a twin pregnancy. Most REs generally want to avoid twin pregnancies, believe it or not, because of the risks involved. And eSET is very common (if not the actual LAW) in many European countries. That said, it's really a personal decision here. It all depends on what you have to work with.

We did a single blast transfer for our first cycle, and had a brief chemical pregnancy. I would have been okay with transferring two, but at the time my DH was convinced that a single transfer would work, and he was deathly afraid of having twins. He really didn't think he could be an adequate parents to two babies at once. We were told that the rate of success for 2xDay3 would be the same as 1xDay5, so he was relieved that we could go to Day 5 without risking twins.

For our next cycle we transferred two frozen blasts, BFN.

We knew going into our third cycle (second fresh) that we would transfer two if given the opportunity, but we didn't know what day it would be (ended up being Day 3, and we thought it was game over). We did end up with twins from that double transfer, which we really didn't expect (though we knew it was a possibility). At that point we were still honestly expecting another BFN.

I think what happens is that every cycle that doesn't work, you try to up the ante with the next one. Unfortunately you really have to play it by ear, and you won't know until the day after your retrieval what you're possibly dealing with. As it is, we are anticipating the two children we wanted for our family, and still have three good blasts sitting in the freezer. You just never know.

I would suggest that you and your DH sit down and really discuss how you would deal with the possibility of twins, and how many cycles you are willing/able to do if the first cycle fails. We decided to do a single blast transfer partly because of DH's fears, and partly because we knew we were financially able to continue cycling if it didn't work. These are all considerations...

[LisainSK]

Manitobamama,

My DH and I have largely put this argument behind us for now...our first transfer is on November 1st. But we truly agonized over this decision. We are not at all comfortable with the gestation of twins. The risks terrify me. So we have chosen to undergo eSET. But we are fraught with anxiety of the decision. However we are comfortable and financially able to spread out the chances of a singleton pregnancy over two separate transfers if need be which drastically lessens the chances of a twins gestation (a singleton embie could still split into an identical twin pg but that's out of our control). We will be absolutely devastated if we get a BFN but our chances over two transfers is excellent so we have to look at the flip side of this.

Good luck with what ever you decide. I never thought the decision would be so tough.

[Peter]

My dr has suggested I do a 1 emby transfer at 5 days instead of 2 at 3 days.

This is good as long as the clinic has excellent results with day 5 embryos

He stated it would reduce my risk of twins

True

and would be just a likely to produce a positive result for me.

It depends how good their day 5 results are........

He also said they do this with patients who have a good chance at IVF and that it is the new way of doing things.

there is nothing new in day 5 transfers, I was doing them 24 years ago!

Good luck!

Peter


Any thoughts?