Infertility: Extra embryos –– too much of a good thing?

For infertility patients, an IVF cycle can feel like a numbers game. How many follicles are developing well? How many oocytes are retrieved? How many will fertilize? And most important, how many embryos will be ready to transfer into the womb? Although many people say “it only takes one,” I have found that most people going through in vitro fertilization (IVF) are hoping for several. Why do people hope for several embryos? If it only takes one, why hope for more? For those struggling with infertility, safety in numbers may feel heartening. Some families hope to have more than one child, and welcome the chance to freeze embryos for future use. They hope to avoid the costs, both financial and emotional, of undergoing another IVF cycle. And for those who worry about aging eggs, creating embryos now enables them to use the mom’s eggs before she gets any older. Extra embryos also provide peace of mind should the cycle not result in pregnancy or end in miscarriage. What questions arise when extra embryos exist? In many ways, having several embryos cryopreserved is a good thing. I know one couple with five children, all from one egg donor cycle. For this couple, the bounty of embryos was a gift that kept on giving. However, for others, extra embryos can be problematic. Here are a few examples of the downside of cryopreserving embryos. Cryopreserved embryos can offer false hope. Reproduction is truly a mystery. I know a couple who have two sons through egg donation. They conce...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Fertility Infertility Men's Health Women's Health Source Type: blogs