The dilemma faced by patients who undergo single embryo transfer

The aim of this study was to identify the factors that contribute to the decision to choose single embryo transfer (SET).

Two hundred and nine patients who underwent ART treatment in our clinics between April 2006 and May 2007 were enrolled in this study. All patients had elected to undergo SET before the start of each treatment cycle; a questionnaire was administered to all patients prior to the SET procedure.

The mean age of the patients was 34.6 years old (range: 24-45 years). The mean number of redundant embryos was 3.7 (range: 1-17), and the pregnancy rate per embryo transfer was 25.7%. A total of 121 patients (57.9%) who underwent SET returned their questionnaires. Based on the results of questionnaire, 56.2% of patients who received SET waived their right to choose between single and double embryo transfer. Among patients who selected SET, 67.6% believed that the pregnancy rate resulting from double embryo transfer (DET) is significantly greater than that associated with SET, and 25% of patients wanted to have twins. The majority of patients (80.9%) who underwent SET understood that multi-fetal pregnancy increases the risk of complications during gestation and delivery. Among all patients who completed the questionnaire, 72.8% believed that the number of transferred embryos should not be controlled by law.

The results of the present study show that greater than one-half of patients who underwent SET were faced with a dilemma--the difficult choice between their own desires and their clinician's recommendation.