IVF patients ignore data, keep hoping for twins

By Catherine Elton, Globe Correspondent | March 26, 2007

It's long been the Catch-22 of in-vitro fertilization: The chances of a successful pregnancy increase with the number of embryos implanted, but so does the likelihood of multiple pregnancies, which are riskier for both mother and offspring.

Now a new study and a growing body of research suggest that, ultimately, implanting only one embryo is just as likely to lead to pregnancy.

More and more doctors are lauding and promoting the practice of these so-called single-embryo transfers. At Massachusetts General Hospital, Dr. Thomas Toth, director of reproductive endocrinology, said it's been his "personal passion" in recent years. In 2006, he said, fully 25 percent of the 500 IVF cycles Mass. General performed were single-embryo transfers.

But other local doctors say that most of their infertility patients simply aren't interested.

That's because with single-embryo transfers it takes more tries -- and therefore more time -- to get pregnant. And when it comes to infertile patients, time is crucial.

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