Single Embryo Transfer, SET: The Power of One 👍
Having twins or boy-girl twins is one of the most common wishes expressed by couples who come for consultation.
To be honest, seeing someone walking outside with an adorable pair of boy-girl twins can make many people feel envious.
However, from an obstetrician’s perspective, multiple pregnancy is considered a high-risk pregnancy.
For the mother, the risks of gestational hypertension, diabetes, cesarean section, and blood loss all increase.
The greatest concern, however, is premature birth.
For the babies, there may be pregnancy loss during the course of pregnancy, and the most common issue is still premature birth.
Because premature babies have immature lungs, they may need a ventilator or admission to the intensive care unit.
Premature babies are often underweight and may also face feeding difficulties.
In the long term, a child’s growth and development, hearing, vision, and even learning ability may all be affected.
In fact, if a baby is born prematurely, the effects of prematurity may last a lifetime.
The parents may also spend the rest of their lives caring for a pair of premature children.
For the family, this creates a major burden in terms of caregiving manpower and financial cost.
The purpose of pregnancy is to give birth to a healthy and normal child, then raise and educate the child well into adulthood.
In the early years of IVF treatment, embryo culture technology, equipment, culture media, and freezing methods were not as advanced as they are today.
Therefore, multiple embryos were often transferred at one time in hopes of achieving pregnancy.
This led to a very high proportion of multiple pregnancies, which then created pressure and risks for the mother, babies, and family.
However, reproductive medicine continues to advance.
Over the past decade, reproductive medicine communities both in Taiwan and internationally have increasingly favored Single Embryo Transfer, SET.
The goal is to achieve a healthy, normal, full-term singleton baby and avoid the burden caused by multiple pregnancy.
I strongly support this concept.
Currently, the proportion of Single Embryo Transfer, SET, in Taiwan is 24.9%, according to the Health Promotion Administration’s assisted reproduction analysis report from June 2021.
In Japan, the rate was 82.1% in 2016.
Among babies born through assisted reproduction, the twin birth rate in Japan was only 3.3%, while in Taiwan it was 24.1%, showing a major difference.
According to statistics from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the annual medical care costs for premature babies account for half of neonatal health insurance expenses, which is a very large expenditure.
Therefore, the IVF subsidy program launched on July 1 clearly states that to receive the subsidy, women under 35 may transfer only one embryo at a time, while women over 35 may transfer no more than two embryos.
The goal is to create a triple win for the public, the medical community, and the government.
For the public: Enjoy the population policy benefit, reduce the proportion of multiple pregnancies and maternal-infant risks, and give birth to healthy full-term newborns.
For the medical community: Increase the number of treatment cycles at fertility centers and expand patient services. Reduce the caregiving pressure on obstetric and pediatric medical staff caused by multiple pregnancies and premature babies.
For the government: Reduce the risks and rates of high-risk pregnancy and premature birth, lower medical care expenses, and ease the domestic low birth rate crisis.
In the early stage of implementation, it is understandable that doctors and patients who were previously used to transferring multiple embryos at one time may worry that pregnancy rates will decrease.
At Yun-I Fertility Center, the proportion of Single Embryo Transfer is 67%, far higher than the national average of 24.9%.
However, the pregnancy rate still reaches as high as 60%.
From our experience, Single Embryo Transfer in IVF treatment is both safe and feasible.
Please remember: The Power of One 👍
If you would like to learn more, you are welcome to call, leave a message, or contact us through Yun-I Line@.
㊗️ Wishing you good pregnancy luck and may your dreams come true 💝
