How is selective reduction performed?
Once the specific fetuses to be reduced are identified, potassium chloride is injected into the heart of each selected fetus under the guidance of ultrasound imaging; the heart stops and the fetus dies as a result. Generally, the fetal material is reabsorbed into the woman’s body.
What is selective reduction in IVF?
Currently the medical professional can use either fertility drug therapy of in vitro fertilization to help couples to conceive. Selective reduction refers to the procedure of aborting 1 or more fetuses in a multiple pregnancy induced by fertility drugs or in vitro fertilization.
Can you reduce triplets to twins?
Results: The miscarriage rate for expectantly managed triplets was 25%, compared with 6.2% for triplets reduced to twins. This rate was similar to the rates for both groups of nonreduced twins: 5.8% (Quest) and 6.3% (Wayne State University). Severe prematurity occurred in 25% of nonreduced triplets compared with 4.
How can I reduce multiple pregnancy?
Multifetal pregnancies should be prevented whenever possible. In almost all cases, it is preferable to avoid the risk of higher-order multifetal pregnancy by limiting the number of embryos to be transferred or by cancelling a gonadotropin cycle when the ovarian response suggests a high risk of a multifetal pregnancy 4.
Is fetal reduction risky?
What are the risks associated with the procedure? After fetal reduction, there is a 7 % chance that the woman will lose the entire pregnancy prior to 20 weeks’ gestation. The original number of fetuses, the route of the needle as well as the number terminated may influence the likelihood and the rate of pregnancy loss.
How long does it take to abort twins?
63 days
Therefore, women requesting an abortion of a twin gestation up to 63 days should be offered the option of medical abortion. Compared with singleton gestations, our data suggest that patients with twin gestations may more often need a second dose of misoprostol to achieve complete expulsion.
Can you reduce multiple pregnancy?
Multifetal pregnancy reduction is a procedure to reduce the number of fetuses in a pregnancy—usually from three, four, or five fetuses to two. This may help the two fetuses survive and help you have a healthy pregnancy. This procedure is most often done early in the first trimester or early in the second trimester.
How is fetal reduction done?
Embryo reduction is done by passing a needle through the mother’s tummy under local anaesthesia and injecting a medicine into the fetus to be reduced. It is done under continuous ultrasound guidance.
Can twins feel when the other dies?
Twins literally do not know how to exist as one. When a twin dies, the twinless twin longs to reconnect. The twinless twin may have phantom pain or feel half dead. He or she may feel a need to represent both him or herself and the deceased twin or may even take on behaviors of the deceased twin.
What is selective reduction?
Selective reduction was developed in the mid-1980s, as people in the field of assisted reproductive technology became aware of the risks that multiple pregnancies carried for the mother and for the fetuses.
What is a selective reduction of the placenta?
Because a single placenta has difficulty supporting multiple fetuses, in such cases a selective reduction to improve the likelihood of survival for the remaining fetus or fetuses may be indicated. Selective reduction is the practice of reducing the number of fetuses in a multiple pregnancy, say quadruplets, to a twin or singleton pregnancy.
Does reducing triplets to twins increase the risk of miscarriage?
It appears that reduction of triplets, where each triplet is in its own placenta, to twins results in a lower risk of preterm birth and does not increase the risk of miscarriage.
What is multifetal reduction surgery?
A surgery called multifetal reduction lowers the number of fetuses and improves your chances for a healthy pregnancy. Also called fetal reduction or selective pregnancy reduction, it’s a safe procedure, and chances of problems are small. Still, it can be a tough decision.