Heart disease in IVF twins

Researchers in the United States have discovered that IVF twins have an increased risk of congenital heart disease, although single IVF babies have no greater risk than the rest of the population.

The team at Yale University say their research suggests that some previous reports of high rates of congenital heart disease in IVF babies may be a result of the high levels of multiple births after IVF rather than anything else.

The study looked at more than 2,000 patients and found the IVF twins had a three-fold increase in rates of congenital heart disease. The research comes as UK clinics are being urged to cut their multiple birth rates, and may be another statistic to take into consideration in the debate about single embryo transfer.

There's more information about the study on the Yale University website.