[Katib7]

Hi there-
In a year or so my husband and I are going to begin (hopefully!) ivf treatments.
As far as we know (I'm sure we'll find out more later), we're both completely healthy and able to conceive. My husband has had a vasectomy for almost 11 years. We decided to choose IVF rather than a reversal.
Realistically, we aren't going to be able to try and get pregnant twice. With the amount of money involved in trying to get pregnant once with IVF, we won’t be repeating the process. We want at least 2 children. Are you able to opt for twins with IVF?
I'm a nurse and am aware of the possible complications. Our situation isn't perfect.. but this is where life has led us and we're trying to make the best out of the choices we've made. I would be grateful for one child but 2 would just be a dream come true!
Does anybody know the answer to this?
Thank you!
Katie

[Labhaoise]

Hi Katie! nice to "meet" you. I'm not really sure at all, but I guess you can. There are others who have gone through the process on here already, so I'm sure they'll be able to give you a better answer.

Wishing you all the best with your IVF journey!

[Samual]

Where do you live? In the UK doctors will only allow one embryo to be transferred at a time.

[Kats Playland]

I would like to wish you guys the best of luck. One of my friends & his wife are pg with twins via IVF cause of the same reason, but they had to have it done 5-6 times before it took. So everyone is different.
But as said before, there are several ladies on here that can help you out way better.

[Katib7]

Hi there!
Thanks for the replies, I really appreciate it. We live in the San Jose (San Francisco Bay Area), California.
I'm completely prepared for multiple attempts. Of course, I say this knowing it'll be a different story when our time actually comes! I feel almost selfish and silly asking questions about opting for twins... it's just so expensive and we're trying to be realistic. Agh....

Katie

[Katib7]

RE: Kats Playland...
So your friends intentionally "asked" for twins? Are they from the US? Do you know how many embryos they had implanted?
Sorry if my replying is a little odd. I'm still trying to figure out how to work this site!

[wanna be a young mother]

Well the first time I did IVF we transfered two embryos and both took but I lost baby B at 6 weeks and carried my daughter until 35w 5d. The 2nd time we did FET (frozen embryo transfer with left over embryos) and I also transfered two. This time both stuck (so far) and seem to be doing well.

Did I want twins.....no not really but we couldn't afford another attempt. I am well aware of the complications that come with twins and I dont mean the financial ones. There is a HUGE chance they will be born very early and have serious health problems or disabilities.

The average set of twins is born at 35 weeks which at that time its a 50/50 gamble on if their lungs are mature. Our bodies were not made to carry two babies. By 30 weeks you would measure the same as a full term singleton pregnancy which is why a lot of twin moms go into labor early.....your body cant handle all of that weight. My advise is read about twin pregnancy before you even ask for them. There are many many complications that come with this pregnancy and a 60% c-section rate. I am also a nurse and my major will be maternity when I am finally done with everything but there are things even I didn't know about twin pregnancy.

A lot of RE's wont transfer two embryos to women who dont have infertility b/c an IVF office does not consider a multiple pregnancy a successful one. Also if they get enough embryos on the first try you will have the choice to freeze the "extra" ones and FET is a LOT cheaper then IVF and they have the same success rate. My IVF cost us about $15,000-$20,000 and my FET was $3,800 which was a HUGE difference. The medication with FET is also cheaper by thousands of dollars since you dont need to be stimulated.

I am not trying to be mean just realistic. A twin pregnancy is not a "two for one" kind of thing. It's a very hard and long pregnancy. I'm sure many of the twin moms here would tell you that. I know it will all be worth it in the end but that doesnt change the fact that until these babies are born and home safe I will worry about losing one or both everyday. I am also a member of a twin forum (pm me if you would like more info) and just reading some of their posts about what they are going through is enough to sober anyone pregnant with twins. Once again I am not trying to be mean just honest b/c I wish I knew what I know now about twins before we did FET.

Good luck with your IVF. I hope you have a safe and healthy pregnancy.

[Katib7]

By no means am I considering this being a "two for one" deal. Ideally, twins is not the way to go. I understand this. But realistically, we most likely wont be able to afford to do this whole procedure twice. Sounds like you were in the same boat when making your choice. Yes, we have A LOT more research to do before we come to any conclusions, I just like to be informed before even considering options.
The freezing sounds interesting. I'll have to research more about that.
Not only is this a money issue, but my husband and I also want to have children before he turns 40 (just a couple years to go). So having a baby and then having another one in a few years isn't ideal for us. There are a lot of factors involved in this. I don't think having multiples is glamorious.... I'm just a mother at heart and cant help but crave our dream of having more than one child.
I guess the main reason I posted this was to find out if requesting to attempt to have twins was even an option. I wasn't sure if they allowed that, though I was thinking they probably do.
Katie

[wanna be a young mother]

There are no guideline in place for RE's. Most stick to the "unwritten law" of never to transfer more than two at a time. Any RE that would be willing to transfer two or more embryos into a women who does not have infertility is a Quack.

Even with all of my infertility issues and the years of treatment my Dr. would not transfer more than two. He is the top Dr. in the Midwest and #1 in Chicago. My friend went to see him last month b/c she has PKD. Its a kidney problem that she doesnt want passed down to her children. So she had her embryos tested for it. My Dr. made it clear to her from the start that since she is healthy and able to conceive he would not transfer more than one embryo.

So to answer your question..... yes and no. Yes, you can ask to transfer two embryos but that doesnt mean you will end up with twins. No, a Dr. should not transfer two embryos in a healthy women with no prior history of infertility but that doesnt mean you cant find one that would be willing to transfer 10 if you asked. Every office is different but if you have a good RE I can tell you now that if you request to transfer two embryos he/she will tell you no.

I can understand wanting more than one child. I myself want 3 but not this way. We struggled for 5 years and then another 27 months of infertility treatments before I had my daughter. This time it took 14 months of struggling. So I understand where you are coming from but I can tell you now that if you are under 30 and dont have fertility issues it will be hard to find an RE who will transfer two embryos and if you do then I wouldnt walk I would run from his office b/c he's just in it for the money.

Also if you are just doing this b/c of your husband then you have a 60-70% chance of it taking on the first try. Most women only have a 25% chance of conception in a normal cycle. So if you are prepared for many attempts and it takes on the first try you could use the extra money to try again later. If you want two children I'm sure instead of twins you could try having them a few months apart. As long as you wait at least 6 months after the first an RE would be willing to get you pregnant again right away.

Here is my Dr.'s website. It has TONS of info about IVF/IVM-(which he was the first to ever do) and FET. http://ivf1.com/

[Katib7]

Thank you so much for all the information! Speaking one on one with somebody who has gone through it already is very refreshing.
I'm not sure if I mentioned above... As for as I know, I'm completely able to concieve naturally. However, my husband has had a vasectomy for many years. So there lies our problem and that is the reason we are chosing IVF. I'm under 30 and he is nearly 40.
Again, thank you for all the information. It's really helped and I appreciate it!
Kate