Life is tough for IVF twins early on

Australian researchers have found that twins conceived as a result of in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) do it tough, especially early in life.

The researchers from the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research in Perth, Western Australia, say they have found that twins born as a result of assisted reproductive technology (ART) such as IVF are more likely to be admitted to neonatal intensive care and to be hospitalised in their first three years of life than twins who were spontaneously conceived.

The team conducted a study which compared the health of all twins born in Western Australia between 1994 and 2000 which included both spontaneously conceived twins and IVF twins, which was based on an analysis of hospital admissions.

The researchers say they found that twins born as a result of IVF are more at risk of dying, being born early or suffering health problems in their first three years of life compared with naturally conceived twins and they say their findings support a shift away from multiple embryos being implanted in women by fertility clinics.

Study author Michele Hansen says the study compared outcomes for ART twins with spontaneously conceived twins of different sex so that the results were not influenced by specific complications that can affect identical twins who share a placenta.

Ms Hanson says ART twins stayed in hospital longer after delivery and were 60% more likely to be admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit, stayed in hospital longer after delivery and were also more likely to be admitted to hospital in their first three years of life.

Ms Hansen says the aim of the research is to identify any potential areas where techniques or care could be improved to ensure an even better outcome for babies and their parents and couples undergoing ART treatment should not be alarmed, as most babies are delivered healthy or with problems that can be easily addressed.

Ms Hansen says the reason for the increased risks of health problems is unclear and as the preliminary analysis of specific diagnoses does not provide any answers more research is clearly needed to establish whether it could be due to the underlying causes of parental infertility and/or components of the ART procedure.

She suggests that in order to reduce the problems associated with twin births, doctors and couples should consider the benefits of opting for transferring only a single embryo at a time.

The research was funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council and is published online in Europe's leading reproductive medicine journal, Human Reproduction.