I was 34, 3 unsuccessful IUIs before moving on to IVF, unexplained infertility. SG recommended eSET for first IVF cycle (we were in shared risk) which we did and had a successful pregnancy. As others have pointed out, there are many increased risks with a twin pregnancy, and as this is your first IVF cycle it sounds like your RE believes you have a good chance of success with an eSET. Good luck with your decision.

Do 1. A no brainer at 28. Shoot, I think it's the way to go, period.

I was 39 and transferred 2. I wanted to transfer 1 but at 39 no one really thought that was normal! Apparently only a few percent of 39-yr olds transfer one, most transfer 2, and a percentage greater than those that transfer 1 actually transfer 3.

Anyway, I lost one baby at 16 weeks (unexplained) and then the other, otherwise wonderfully healthy baby was born at 38 weeks but there was a slight mingling of the placentas, and so the baby got a blood clot, and had a massive stroke, probably just before or at birth (maybe when they cut the chord). And unfortunately he died.

My situation is very rare (as are twin complications generally, but with twins, even though the complications are rare, they are still WAY more likely to happen than with a singleton), so I don't mean to scare you. But twin complications happen and, in my case, I have great regret over not doing eSETs. Because had I, I may have miscarried the 16-week baby still, but the otherwise healthy baby born at 38 weeks would have been fine had he been an eSET.

I'm pregnant again and this time I put in 1.

I have a friend who put in 2 as well, and both took. While her babies seem fine now (7 months old), they were born under 5 lbs and had to be in the NICU for a week. One of her babies seems to have some sort of physical/development issues (the smaller one), though I don't think anything major. But it was the result of being a twin.

Best of luck.

15:59 here - btw, I was 35 at the time of my 2nd round of IVF.

Twin mom here, thanks to SG. My first IVF attempt (day five transfer with 6 great embryos to chose from) was eSET, based on the advice of my RE. She did a great job of informing us of the difficulties and potential issues with a twin pregnancy, and we were convinced one was the best way to go.

It didn't stick. My insurance didn't pay at all for frozen embryo transfers, so we did another round of IVF... the second attempt had some difficulties, and we ended up with three embryos, two of which were ok. Had to do a day 3 transfer, but this time, our RE recommended transferring both (one was good quality, the other was just ok).

Both stuck, and I feel very luck to have had zero issues during my pregnancy. I went full term (induced at 37.5 weeks), but always in the back of my mind worried that something might happen in the pregnancy. One of my twins is having physical therapy for an issue that stared in utero, but she should be ok. I love them both, but having twin infants is hard. Their first year was more difficult than anything I could have imagined. If I had to do it over again, I would have transferred just one in my 2nd attempt.

I would definitely eSET in your position, Since this is your first cycle, you don't have a reason to think that eSET won't work for you. Additionally, like other posters have pointed out, a twin pregnancy comes with MANY more risks than a singleton, which is exactly why your RE is recommending eSET. I understand that you are probably thinking "We get two for the price of one," but the risks are often glossed over. Some studies have shown that up to 50% of twin births occur preterm, and NICU is something you want to avoid at all costs (speaking as someone who has dealt with NICU - hardest thing I have ever had to do). You are also at increased risk for issues such as IUGR during the pregnancy.

I found out the hard way that my body couldn't handle a twin pregnancy, and I was 27 at the time of transfer, so I was an "ideal" candidate. I transferred 2 on my second cycle after my first cycle failed, and both took. We ended up losing one twin around 12 weeks. That loss ended up being a blessing in disguise - my daughter started having growth issues in the second trimester and was diagnosed with IUGR in the third. My water broke at 33+6 and she was born at 34 weeks exactly. She had infant respiratory distress syndrome and was in the NICU for a month. She is thankfully now very healthy. However, our MFM told us that had the twin pregnancy continued, there is a good chance we would not have any baby here at all - and many women don't get the happy ending I did (one of those women posted before me in this thread - I am so sorry for your loss PP). I am SO incredibly thankful that my daughter is here.

I strongly urge you to take your REs advice and do eSET. If we ever decide to go back to SG for another baby, I will only be transferring one at a time, even with FETs. My goal is to come home with a healthy baby, and that is the best shot.

I work in NICU. I've seen my share of 23 week twins. It's very rare that a 23 weeker who does survive doesn't have some kind of disability. Bad lungs, bad gut, bad head or a combination of all three. My goal is a healthy baby so that's definitely not what I want. I've also seen my share of full term twins who are healthy but still seems like a long hard road with bedrest etc.

Because we had horrible quality embryos the first round (no blasts), our RE floated the idea of transferring more than one at the end of this round. I can see where he is coming from but it makes me nervous as hell because I'm young like you. Still haven't decided what we'll do... probably make a decision based on the quality of the embryo at the time of transfer.

Good luck op.

Sometimes the decision comes to fruition for you. You really can't predict much about your first IVF. At age 30, on day 5 I had no blasts, went back on day 6 and transferred the only two, resulting in a MC at 7 wks. I'm glad we transferred both because it gave us more information about our situation. I am glad we didn't waste an FET on an embryo that wasn't meant to be a baby. This experience put us in a better position for our second round. Keep an open mind and take everyone's experience with a grain of salt. GL!

Twin loss mom, thank you for sharing and so sorry for your loss.

Thanks everyone for the input, it is clear I should be realistic and patient, and just try an eSET for my first IVF cycle. Thanks <3

Anonymous wrote:Twin loss mom response: I'm in my late 30s and was not "trying" to have twins, but transferred (3) 3-day embryos and (1) stuck and split. (ID twins, missed m/c at 9w). Next cycle we transferred (2) not so hot looking blasts and felt lucky to be pregnant with twins. They were perfect in every way, but at 23w my cervix shortened and they were born too early for the NICU. I cannot even begin to tell you how devastating it is to give birth to two perfect, beautiful babies only to leave the hospital empty handed.

I'm not saying this to scare you, as there are many twin moms that carry full-term with complication-free pregnancies. I cringe when someone says they are trying for twins, because everything can be perfect until it's not.

You are 28 and anxious to be pregnant--I get it--but this is your first cycle and you have a great chance of succeeding with an eSET and having embryos leftover to freeze for future siblings. I'd go with whatever your doctor recommends.

I am so sorry for your losses, PP.

Twin loss mom response: I'm in my late 30s and was not "trying" to have twins, but transferred (3) 3-day embryos and (1) stuck and split. (ID twins, missed m/c at 9w). Next cycle we transferred (2) not so hot looking blasts and felt lucky to be pregnant with twins. They were perfect in every way, but at 23w my cervix shortened and they were born too early for the NICU. I cannot even begin to tell you how devastating it is to give birth to two perfect, beautiful babies only to leave the hospital empty handed.

I'm not saying this to scare you, as there are many twin moms that carry full-term with complication-free pregnancies. I cringe when someone says they are trying for twins, because everything can be perfect until it's not.

You are 28 and anxious to be pregnant--I get it--but this is your first cycle and you have a great chance of succeeding with an eSET and having embryos leftover to freeze for future siblings. I'd go with whatever your doctor recommends.

At your age and given that this is your first IVF, I definitely would transfer one. After several failed transfers of one at 34, they transferred two and I'm pregnant with twins. It is an incredibly difficult pregnancy, much more than my first IVF pregnancy from a single embryo transfer 5 years ago. If I had any idea how hard the twin pregnancy process would be, and how significant the health risks to the babies are, I would have just kept doing single transfers. People idealize twins and think "two-for-one," but if you read up on it, it is not such a rosy picture.

I'm 34 and would definitely do eSET. At 28, it's a no-brainer. I just couldn't live with myself if I thought my impatience was the cause of losing a pregnancy or negatively impacting my childrens' health.

I have two good friends who both have sets of fraternal twins, one from IVF and one not. Both mothers were very healthy during pregnancy and did everything asked of them by their doctors, both women around 30-32 at the time of their pregnancies, and both wound up with NICU babies. One set was born at 28 weeks and it was VERY touch and go for a while with them. At five years old, there are still some lingering health concerns. The other set, now two years old, were born at 32 weeks and relatively healthy and good size for their gestational age, but still spent nearly a month in the NICU.
I am going through an IVF cycle myself, and we are electing to do eSET. There are so many health concerns for both mother and babies with multiples, even with "just twins". At 28, if I were you, I'd transfer one at a time.

I have seen it work out fine, but I have also seen it go really, really bad-- like 25-week preemies with serious, permanent issues. With twins you have a higher chance of miscarrying the whole pregnancy, prematurity, and over other complications. You never really know if you would have had a different outcome if you had transferred just one. You would be accepting a big risk of miscarriage and other problems, and would always have to wonder if a single embryo would have resulted in a healthier child.

At 28, I would say do a single embryo for now. If you want two children, you still have a lot of time to try for a second. And you can always transfer two on a later cycle.

In the first IVF cycle after 3 IUIs. S I am 28, we are unexplained. I would prefer to transfer two embryos but I know my doctor advises against this. I am okay with having twins, actually I would like to have them. Supposedly transferring 2 instead of 1 does not increase my chances of pregnancy, even though it feels like it should.

What are your experiences and thoughts on this?