Embryo transfer in in vitro fertilization is limited
What Will the Restrictions on the Number of Embryo Transfers Bring in the New Regulation?
With article 8 b in ARTICLE 18 of the regulation that came into force on 6 March 2010
"It is essential not to transfer more than one embryo in the ART application in the centres. However, up to the age of 35, a single embryo can be transferred in the first and second applications, two embryos in the third and subsequent applications, and a maximum of two embryos can be transferred in all applications for those aged 35 and over." condition has been introduced.
Therefore, only one embryo can be transferred to people under the age of 35 in the first and second application.
However, if no results are obtained from the first 2 applications, two embryo transfers will be allowed in the third and subsequent applications.
The limitation is different for those aged 35 and above, where the possibility of pregnancy decreases.
In these people, two embryo transfers will be allowed starting from the first attempt.
Even though the number of trials increases, the number of embryo transfers will not exceed two.
There are other changes in the new regulation.
Accordingly, embryo selection and transfer will not be possible to determine the gender of the child to be born, except in case of a serious hereditary disease related to gender.
Thus, the success rate of pregnancy in In Vitro Fertilization will necessarily decrease. Before the new regulation, we could make up to 3 transfers. In our center, we have adopted a policy of 2 transfers in the first attempt for young couples who are making their first attempt and whose embryos developed in the laboratory are of first quality. In repeated attempts, we have made 3 embryo transfers so far in women over 35 years of age and in couples with medium or poor embryo quality. While we can say that with this application, the chance of pregnancy in the younger group reaches 60%, now with the new application, pregnancy rates have necessarily fallen to around 30% due to single embryo transfer. However, of course, this restriction aims to prevent multiple pregnancies (twins and triplets) and protect the health of the mother and baby.
The most important issue here is the extremely successful application of embryo freezing and freezing techniques. Until recently, survival rates after thawing were low because embryo freezing techniques were not sufficiently developed. However, thanks to the rapid freezing technique (vitrification) we have used in recent years, frozen embryos retain their viability at a rate of 95%. The advantage of the vitrification technique is that it is a very fast freezing technique. Unlike the slow freezing techniques we used in the past, in the vitrification technique, ice crystals that damage the cell structure do not form during the freezing process.
In our center, which successfully performs freezing and thawing, in case of failure in the first attempt, the stored embryos can be easily transferred within a month or two with a similar pregnancy rate. Moreover, the risks of multiple pregnancy will thus be avoided. The most disturbing aspect of this for couples who need treatment is that they will have to wait longer and incur more expenses to reunite with their babies than before. Because each attempt means a separate cost, more or less.