Dr Kshitiz Murdia
Anamika Gupta, 31, had her twins, Amayra and Arman, who were conceived through IVF, eight weeks early. And that was after 11 weeks of bed rest after going into preterm labor when she was 20 weeks pregnant. Anamika and her husband, Kaushal weren’t trying for twins. But the two embryos that their IVF doctor had transferred implanted, resulting in twins. Just two weeks after Anamika’s positive pregnancy test, ultrasound reports revealed that there was not one but two distinct sacs, and within each of these a tiny flickering speck of a heartbeat.
Six weeks later those two specks had grown into discernible foetuses, with bulbous heads, limbs and noses, and both looked to be normal and healthy. Needless to say, the couple was overjoyed and, once past the 12-week milestone, keen to spread the news.
But unlike Gupta’s, there are couples deliberately opting for IVF to have twin babies. Infact, half the time when couples looking into in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) as an option to experience parenthood make visit to hospitals, one of the first questions they often ask is, “Will IVF increase our chances of having twins or triplets?” Well, the answer to this is, “that all depends.” Multiple births are much more common these days than they were in the past, reason being more women are receiving infertility treatment. And specially with both parents working these days, their common attitude is “why not to have two in one time and complete the family.”
Basically, with IVF, you and your doctor determine how many embryos will be transferred into your uterus. Let’s say, if you choose to have a single embryo transferred, then it would be impossible for you to have twins or triplets. However, it affects the success rate of your pregnancy because there is no guarantee your embryo will successfully implant into the uterine lining. This is why many women, especially those who are unable to afford two or more cycles, often opt to have more than one embryo transferred. Interestingly, the chances of being pregnant from multiple embryo transfers increase only slightly compared with a single embryo transfer, although your chances of a multiple birth increase significantly. Among many factors, age of a woman, her physical health and embryo viability play major role in the success of IVF cycles.
But if you choose to have more than one embryo transferred during your IVF cycle, your chances of having twins or triplets jumps significantly. It’s more of a trend among young couples these days, especially the ones who yearn to have twins and find it “cute” to have two kids but one pregnancy. Also, IVF is more in demand because the common notion these days is whether you have singleton or twins, the cost remains the same. Therefore, some couples demand for twin pregnancies as IVF is expensive and they want to complete their family in one go with twin birth; while a few couples don’t want to go for IVF again and again so they feel having twins in one go is much better and cost effective. Usually couples may not be blunt, but they often mention their desire to have twins, especially in case of working mothers, as they are able to focus on their career once their family is complete.
So, it doesn’t matter if you’re pregnant with one or more than one baby (a multiple pregnancy), a healthy lifestyle and balanced diet will help you cope with your pregnancy and give your babies the best start in life. If you feel hungry, fill up on healthy snacks, such as fresh fruit, low-fat yogurt or sandwiches filled with grated cheese, lean ham or mashed tuna. Expecting two babies doesn’t mean you have to eat significantly more than during a single pregnancy. You may be offered iron supplements during your pregnancy as you’re more at risk from anemia during a twin pregnancy.
While most multiple pregnancies are healthy and result in healthy babies, there are some risks to be aware of when you are pregnant with two or more babies. So, never miss or skip your appointment with your doctor. Also, remember multiple pregnancy is not in the hands of any doctor because when IVF procedure is done, multiple embryos are transferred and their implantation being a self-regulated process, can neither be altered nor interfered.
(The author is Fertility Expert, Indira IVF Clinic and Test Tube Baby Centre.)
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