Want TTC Twins

[Anonymous]

Does anyone know of a doc who will prescribe clomid or something else that would help to conceive twins? I'm older and can probably only have one more pregnancy.

[Anonymous]

You're questions will likely get a lot of responses....there is quite a bit of buzz these days about the dangers of multiples and the push to strive for single babies.

However, your question indicates that you are not under the care of a doctor yet. I strongly recommend you get a consult with a Reproductive Endocrynologist (aka RE). It is irresposible to take clomid without checking to see how many eggs you produce in that cycle using ultrasound - that's called mid-cycle monitoring.

[Anonymous]

Do not ask an RE to help you have twins, they want patients to have healthy singleton pregnancy.

[Anonymous]

There are natural things you can do to "help" your chances. Try googling it. I really don't think a doctor will prescribe you with unnecessary medication.

[Anonymous]

no ethical doctor will do that.

[Anonymous]

I think octomom's doctor is still practicing.

[Anonymous]

If you are older or have irregular ovulation, a reproductive endocrinologist may prescribe Clomid as a way to increase your chances of getting pregnant. I don't think an ethical doctor would prescribe drugs IN ORDER to increase the likelihood of a twin pregnancy. In my experience, it's always been described as a risk factor, not something to be desired.

I can definitely understand why, if you think this is your last pregnancy and you want two children, you may think you want twins. But the risk of developmental disorders and prematurity shoots up with twins. There are serious risks to the mother's health. It's not an outcome to strive for.

I second the recommendation to sit down with an RE and talk about all your options. Good luck to you.

[Anonymous]

Please tell me this is a troll post. I understand the desperation that infertility makes you feel (went through 9 IVFs ourselves) but please don't ever make having mulitples a goal for yourself. The risks are high for the "2 for 1" situation carrying multiples puts you in. Go visit a NICU.

[Anonymous]

mother of a dead twin

doesn't try it, 1 in 100 twins die in the first year of life, 1 in 3,000 singletons. Have a singleton and drive around without a carseat, your kid has a much better chance to survive

[Anonymous]

PP, I'm sorry for your loss, but I believe your statistics are wrong, based on what I heard from my OB and midwife. My midwife's first words to me were "You need to ignore the pathology around twin pregnancies: having twins is a NORMAL, healthy event, and you should celebrate it." Having twins is unusual for sure, but not unnatural and not unhealthy.

I have twins (conceived naturally), and I absolutely love the experience and had a wonderful pregnancy. Many of my twin mom friends (IVF, Clomid, or spontaneous twin pregnancies) also had perfectly normal pregnancies and deliveries.

Frankly, I feel like I won the freaking lottery. Having twins is an amazing experience and every twin mother I've known echoes this. Talk to a few twin moms and this is what you'll most likely hear.

Check out this post by the way:
http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/137188.page

I think it's actually really disgusting for people to say things like "it's a bad outcome." You're not guaranteed "perfect" children with singletons either!

[Anonymous]

PP - I think the point that folks are trying to make about twins in general is that the risks for complications are higher. Yes, twins occur naturally, but that doesn't mean having twins is less riskier than having a singleton. I don't think that anyone is trying to suggest it is a bad outcome, but I don't think that you can ignore the fact that twins are more likely to be born premature and more likely to have health problems as they grow up. Some people can carry twins without any problems and go pretty much full term, but for most people that isn't the case. I know parents of several twins and while their children are healthy now, they had several respiratory issues as toddlers, and spent months in the NICU right after birth. All of these things take a toll on the parents, the families and the health care system.

[Anonymous]

12:47 here. I'd agree with everything you say (13:12). I just wanted to point out that having twins can be a great outcome for some.....

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't trade my twins in for the world. I also don't think that trying to conceive twins is the smartest lifestyle choice. To each their own and all of that, but the mental, physical, and financial resources that twins take up are significant. In the end it is between a patient and her doctor and her partner, but I think there is a spectrum of experiences between "oh twins are awesome- twofer!" and "your baby(ies) will die". Both ends of the spectrum are possible, certainly, but the reality likely lives somwhere in the land of "hard as hell but happy".

[Anonymous]

The bottom line is that twins are higher risk than singleton pregnancies. Just because they occur spontaneously does not mean it's something to strive for with fertility treatments. Triplets & quads can occur spontaneously too. Nobody thinks those should be a sought-after outcome in ART either.

I am glad for all the positive outcomes of twin pregnancies on this forum, but when someone thinks "oh, twins would be fun!" with no real understanding of the risks & then wants a doctor to prescribe clomid with multiple pregnancy as a goal, it is beyond irresponsible. OP is essentially saying "I'm older & can probably only have one more pregnancy, so I'd like the 2 for 1 deal, please."

Moreover, using stimulation drugs like clomid to induce super-ovulation is how most high-order multiples come about - not from IVF where you can control how many you transfer. You can't tell clomid to give you not one, not three, but exactly 2 eggs. Octomom is an exception, but many other well-known HOMs (like the Gosselin children) are the result of ovarian stimulation & IUI, not IVF.

[Anonymous]

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db16.pdf


Do twins and other multiple pregnancies have higher fetal mortality rates?
Fetal mortality rates are much higher for twin and triplet and higher-order pregnancies than for pregnancies with a single fetus.
The fetal mortality rate for twin pregnancies (16.08) was 2.7 times the rate for singleton pregnancies (5.85). The fetal mortality rate for triplet and higher-order pregnancies (27.18) was 4.6 times the rate for singleton pregnancies.
In 2005, 9% of fetal deaths in the United States were from a multiple pregnancy, compared with 3% of live births (1).
The increased risk for multiple pregnancies may relate in part to increased rates of preterm labor, fetal growth restriction, maternal hypertension, and placental and cord problems (9). Many multiple pregnancies also result from assisted reproductive technologies, which may increase fetal mortality risk (10).