Q: Should I Choose Single Embryo Transfer or Double Embryo Transfer?
A: Single embryo transfer and double embryo transfer refer to how many frozen embryos you transfer to your surrogate’s uterus at a time. Single embryo transfer is the medical procedure that transfers one embryo to the uterus, and double embryo transfer is the procedure that transfer two embryos at a time.
Usually, this is the decision that intended parents have to make after consulting with their doctor. The reason why some intended parents want to transfer two embryos at a time is to increase the chance of pregnancy and live birth. The logic is that if you transfer two embryos, at least one of them should stick to the uterus, resulting in pregnancy.
There has been some studies done that try to understand if double embryo transfer does result in higher pregnancy rate and live birth.
The study by Park et al. discovered that transferring two high-quality embryos resulted in a higher pregnancy rate than transferring a single embryo. However, no significant difference in clinical pregnancy rates was noted when transferring embryos of mixed quality (e.g., one high-quality and one low-quality).
So, it seems that pregnancy rates may or may not improve, it is certain that the chance of multiple pregnancy will increase. Multiple pregnancies, including twin pregnancy, poses risks to both the surrogate and the newborns, including:
- Preterm labor and birth: Babies are at a higher risk of being born with low birth weights and are more likely to require NICU care.
- Gestational hypertension: Women carrying twins have an increased chance of developing high blood pressure during pregnancy.
- Anemia: The likelihood of developing anemia is higher in women with twin pregnancies.
- Birth defects: Twins have an elevated risk of being born with congenital abnormalities.
- Miscarriage: The risk of miscarriage is higher in women carrying twins.
Another disadvantage of double embryo transfer is that you are using two embryos in a procedure instead of one. If you have a limited number of good quality embryos, the overall chance of success pregnancy might be higher if you transfer one embryo at a time.
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