Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 1999 Jan;16(1):1-5.
doi: 10.1023/a:1022581225987.

The transfer of two embryos instead of three to reduce the risk of multiple pregnancy: a retrospective analysis

P L Matson  1 , J Browne, R Deakin, B Bellinge
Affiliations

The transfer of two embryos instead of three to reduce the risk of multiple pregnancy: a retrospective analysis

P L Matson et al. J Assist Reprod Genet. 1999 Jan.

Abstract

Purpose: Our purpose was to investigate whether a reduction in the number of embryos transferred from three to two would help reduce the incidence of multiple pregnancies and yet leave the pregnancy rate unaffected.

Methods: Women were treated in a routine clinical in vitro fertilization program and the results analyzed retrospectively.

Results: There was no reduction in the pregnancy rate when two embryos were transferred compared with three. Indeed, there was actually an increase in pregnancy rate after the transfer of two embryos in those cases with one or more embryos remaining after the transfer.

Conclusions: The transfer of only two embryos compared to three in women younger than 40 years of age does not compromise the chance of pregnancy. Triplets were not seen in the limited series of patients when only two embryos were transferred, but the incidence of twins remained the same. Further consideration should be given to strategies that enable the transfer of single embryos without compromising the pregnancy rate.

PubMed Disclaimer

Comment in

References

    1. Staessen C, Janssenwillen C, Van den Abeel E, Devroey P, Van Steirteghem AC. Avoidance of triplet pregnancies by elective transfer of two good quality embryos. Hum Reprod. 1993;8:1650–1653. - PubMed
    1. Walters D. Can pregnancy rates be maintained when two embryos are replaced in in-vitro fertilization? Hum Reprod. 1994;9:184. - PubMed
    1. Alikani M, et al. Embryo transfer should not be strictly regulated. Fertil Steril. 1997;68:782–783. - PubMed
    1. De Jonge CJ, et al. Embryo number for transfer should be regulated. Fertil Steril. 1997;68:784–786. - PubMed
    1. Goldbeck-Wood S. Europe is divided on embryo regulations. BMJ. 1996;313:512. - PMC - PubMed