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 16 October 2008 02:23 BST

Regulator aims to reduce multiple births

Wednesday, 04 Apr 2007 08:54
Clinics could be urged to plant just one embryo in women
The number of twin babies born to women as a result of IVF treatment must be restricted in order to reduce "avoidable" risks associated with multiple births, the government's fertility watchdog has warned.

A three-month public consultation has been launched by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) in a bid to reduce the numbers of IVF-induced twin births, which the authority warns can result in "serious and long-term complications" for both children and their mothers.

Currently, around one in four births in the UK following IVF treatment result in either twins or triplets, compared to just one in 80 for babies that are conceived naturally.

The HFEA says that twins often experience a range of medical complications and are five times as likely to die within the first week of their life than a single baby and four times as likely to suffer from cerebral palsy.

Meanwhile, mothers carrying twins are three times more likely to suffer from pre-eclampsia than women pregnant with a single foetus.

At present fertility clinics can choose the number of embryos transferred to women during each cycle of IVF treatment, with those over 40 who have less chance of conceiving sometimes offered a transfer of three embryos.

Under new plans being evaluated by the HFEA, the watchdog is considering whether to raise awareness about the risks associated with multiple births amongst both clinics and patients and to encourage the increased use of single embryo transfer.

The idea of phasing in a maximum rate of ten per cent for twin births which clinics must not exceed is also amongst four options being considered by the regulator.

In addition, policymakers are looking at whether HFEA guidance should be developed to determine when only one embryo should be implanted in a woman and for provisions to apply the guidance if fertility clinics exceed the proposed maximum twin rate imposed by the watchdog.

In a statement the HFEA said that it was aiming to reduce the risks associated with multiple births, while creating a framework which would still allow clinics to tailor IVF treatment to the individual circumstances of women without prejudicing their chances of conceiving after being artificially inseminated.

"It is our primary job as a regulator to make sure that IVF treatment is safe and appropriate," said HFEA chair Shirley Harrison.

"We want clinics to reduce multiple births and minimise the risks for both mothers and the children they are carrying," she added.
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