Fertility treatment regulator steps up warning about multiple births.
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Where you sit defines success in the world of multiple births. One person's success is a failure to others. Comments and observations come from years of working with parents of multiple clubs and presentations to and discussions with obstetricians and neonatologists.
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OBJECTIVE: We sought to examine the costs of transferring one through five embryos per in vitro fertilization cycle from each of three perspectives: society, the infertile couple, and the insurer. METHODS: Data from the 2003 Assisted Reproductive Technology Report was used to create Markov decision analytic models stratified by maternal age subgroup. We modeled both total costs, cost-effectiveness (cost per live birth), and clinical outcomes: multiple births, preterm deliveries, and cerebral palsy. RESULTS: From a societal and insurer perspective, it was least expensive to transfer one embryo. For women aged younger than 35 years, it cost society 80% more to transfer five rather than one embryo at a time (total cost 39,212 dollars compared with 21,661 dollars). For women aged older than 42 years, it cost 13% more (29,102 dollars compared with 25,723 dollars). From a parental perspective, it was least expensive to transfer between two and five embryos, depending on maternal age. One-embryo transfers markedly improved clinical outcomes. For example, two compared with one-embryo transfers for women aged younger than 35 years reduced preterm birth and cerebral palsy rates by 55% and 41%, respectively. Univariable sensitivity analysis and Monte Carlo simulation showed our results to be robust. CONCLUSION: Transferring one embryo per cycle is the least expensive strategy from a societal perspective, especially for younger women, yet it is the most expensive option from a parental perspective. To reduce in vitro fertilization-associated multiple birth rates, public policy must address these disparate financial incentives.
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Infertility treatments have produced an increase in multiple gestations with twins accounting for 3.3% of births in the United States in 2002. Over that same time period, premature deliveries increased from 10.7% in 1992 to 12.1% in 2002. High-order multiple gestations have also increased, and virtually all of those deliver prematurely. Clinicians are facing the challenge of managing these complicated pregnancies. Neonatal outcome will primarily depend on the gestational age at delivery and the birth weight of the babies. Care is directed at aggressively and proactively preventing preterm delivery. Ultrasound assessments are made frequently to assess fetal anatomical abnormalities, nuchal translucency, fetal growth, cervical length, amniotic fluid, and biophysical profile. Stress reduction and activity reduction will decrease uterine activity, and tocolytic drugs are employed to decrease background contractions to reduce preterm labor (PTL). Fetal fibronectin testing helps predict risk of PTL, and magnesium sulfate tocolysis is used in aggressive dosing to arrest PTL if it occurs. Outcomes are presented and discussed. Successful outcomes are not only possible, but probable.