Risk of multiple birth associated with in vitro fertilization using donor eggs.

Area of Science:

• Reproductive Medicine
• In Vitro Fertilization (IVF)

Background:

• Multiple births, associated with adverse outcomes, are increasingly linked to IVF.
• Maternal age typically reduces multiple birth risk in autologous IVF but may differ with donor eggs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the impact of maternal age, embryo transfer number, and cryopreservation on multiple birth risk in women using donor eggs for IVF.
• To compare multiple birth rates in donor egg IVF with autologous IVF in similar age groups.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 6,936 IVF procedures in the US (1996-1997) involving women aged 35-54 using donor eggs.
• Assessment of maternal age, number of embryos transferred, and cryopreservation of extra embryos as factors influencing multiple birth risk.

Main Results:

• Greater maternal age did not decrease multiple birth risk in this donor egg cohort.
• Multiple birth rates were associated with the number of embryos transferred and cryopreservation status.
• Women using donor eggs had higher multiple birth rates compared to age-matched women using their own eggs.
• Transferring >2 embryos when extra embryos were cryopreserved increased multiple birth risk without improving live birth chances.

Conclusions:

• Maternal age does not appear to mitigate multiple birth risk in donor egg IVF.
• Embryo quality (indicated by cryopreservation) and transfer number significantly influence multiple birth rates.
• Careful consideration of donor age and embryo quality is crucial for optimizing embryo transfer decisions in donor egg IVF to reduce multiple birth risks.