I'll just throw this out there:
Pretty much since I got the call, I've been consumed with the notion of transferring 3. My RE will hate it. I know that. But come on--my 12 embryos from my last fresh cycle resulted in ZERO babies. Zero.
I've only got 4. The chances of one of them being pretty sucky seem good. So why not put back the three best? I don't think we're really "risking" triplets. I just can't imagine 3 embryos resulting in three babies.
Am I being an idiot?
I'm 31, he's 39, I've had one pregnancy resulting in a miscarriage at 8 weeks, he's had zero partners get pregnant (despite nearly 3 years of unprotected sex--2 of which were actively trying--with his ex, a proven fertile with 2 kids from different men (accidents, both of them!)). And, to get all political, I would at least consider selective reduction if it came to that.
So. Votes?
11 comments:
No vote, but go with your gut :)
See how they develop over the next day or two and when it's decision making time - your mommy instinct will kick in and you'll do what is right for you and your hubby!
I went through the same thing on my last IVF. On day 2 we only had three good quality ones and were considering transferring all three. There is no right or wrong decision. It is a really hard place to be in.
I agree with Tracy...wait and see how they develop. Things can change in a matter of hours.
Thinking of you....
Well I will totally vote and say THREE! I was in your EXACT position not even a week ago! I started with 5 thawed them all.. They all made it and RE was saying do ONE. I said H3LL NO! He agreed to 2.. I counter offered with a day 3 transfer instead of going to Blast! He conceded to my will.. Transfer day he was not there and we transferred the best THREE! in 2ww now. 1 lonely embie made it to blast and was frozen.. So yeah totally do 3, at the end of the day all you can do is your best judgement! Will say a prayer for you!!
This is a totally personal decision, and I was approaching it from a different perspective from you since I think SR would not have been on the table for us.
Also really relevant to how I feel about this is that our clinic does vitrification, so the thaw survival rates for embryos are over 98%... so by waiting and freezing we don't lose any success rates, just time and a bit of money, and the attendant frustration. Would feel very differently if our clinic were using older technology.
But, given that, here's my position: I know I have a bunch of risk factors besides IF that make me higher risk for a pregnancy being complicated. I would not feel right knowingly adding the risk factor multiples on top of that. From teaching physiology, I know the human uterus is not at all like dog/cat uteri that are equipped to handle multiple gestations. I know there are lots of women who successfully carry twins or more to term, but I've been on the wrong side of the statistics enough not to feel confident in my reproductive parts and their abilities to excel at Extreme Pregnancy. So, I really want to avoid twins or more, so we're pretty firm on a population limit of one embryo transferred for my uterus (and also for the spouse's uterus, and she doesn't even have other risk factors). We wouldn't be able to live with ourselves if we transferred 2+, got pregnant with multiples, and then lost the pregnancy, because we'd always wonder what if we hadn't done that. For me one of the big big draws of IVF was the ability to single embryo transfer and avoid a high risk of multiples (you still have a 2%ish chance of identical twins), and give each embryo the very best shot at becoming a healthy, full-term take home baby.
There is a clear down side: dragging out the process with single FETs, and the frustration of more BFNs. This is a big part of why we did a biopsy and preimplantation testing on our frozen embryos, though we still did 1 fresh embryo transfer anyway (chemical pregnancy).
Ultimately everyone doing IVF is diagnosed with infertility so I think we all have a very low ability to believe that ALL the embryos might implant. But, it does happen, and often.
I'd follow your RE's recommendation. If they think that your chances per embryo are sufficiently low that they're willing to do 3 because the higher-order multiples risk is very low, then I'd consider it, but I wouldn't want to force their hand.
Addendum: My dedication to SET is based on day 5 transfers, since blastocysts have undergone more hurdles. For day 3 transfers, transferring 2 is very reasonable (for under 35s).
Good luck coming to a decision!
It's too early to decide. I transferred 3 last time but it was because my embryos sucked. 3 at d5? No way in hell, at least for me. It's easy to say you could selectively reduce but that process is not without it's complications. Try to wait and see what comes next.
Hard, hard, very very hard choice. If you want more info you should pick up a copy of "Everything Conceivable" by Liza Mundy. She has a chapter about twins/triplets and a chapter about selective reduction. (you could just read those to chapters real quick before transfer)
To be perfectly honest with you, after reading it, I don't think I'll ever consider transferring more than two. But obviously it's your choice and we are here to support you no matter what : )
I don't have a vote, but I remember when we were going through IVF our RE told us that sometimes the more embryos you put in they sort of "fight" for a spot and it can make none of them stick. That is why they only let us do 2 when we only had 3 embryos make it to fertilization.
Go with what your heart is telling you. What would I do? 3. Put three lil smores back and see what happens :) I know it might sound like Im making light of it but my motto after all this suffering and heartbreak? Go big or go home :)
Such a hard call but honestly, go with your instincts. Yes your doctor might hate it but only you know how you will feel about the number transferred so trust your gut.
I read that "everything conceivable" book and it really makes you think twice about subjecting yourself to multiples. My thought is that I have had such a hard time getting pregnant, I really just want an easy pregnancy, birth and post-partum period. It is so overwhelmingly tempting to just get-er-done, so I understand your desire to transfer 3. I would do what the RE recommends and that way you don't have to make a decision. Wishing you much lots of luck!
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