New research on how many embryos to transfer

There has been some interesting coverage today of the study published in The Lancet about how many embryos should be transferred during IVF treatment. Sadly, some of it does illustrate a lack of understanding about current practice and the move towards single embryo transfer.

The research in the Lancet found that the difference in chances of success between single embryo transfer and transferring two embryos was much greater for women of 40 or more and so recommended that there should be some flexibility in the decision about how many embryos to transfer for older women. Interestingly, the researchers found that transferring three embryos did not increase the chances of a live birth in women of any age.

This new research has been used to suggest that the move towards single embryo transfer is somehow flawed, but in fact the research backs up very well the current policy in the UK which is that single embryo transfer is recommended for those who are most at risk of twins - in other words, younger women with a good prognosis. Single embryo transfer would usually only be suggested for women of 40 and above when using donor eggs. IVF success rates for women in their forties are not high, but the age of the donor is the deciding factor when women are using donated eggs.

You can read more about the research on the Lancet website.