The recent sextuplet births are no exception to such perils. As of Friday, three of the Morrison babies had died and the other three were in critical condition. The babies were born after only 22 weeks of pregnancy, the threshold of viability. The survivors are being cared for at Children's Hospital in Minneapolis.
The Masche babies were born after 30 weeks' gestation and are in better shape, although all but one weighs less than 3 pounds. Jenny Masche suffered acute heart failure following delivery because of blood lost during the Cesarean section, according to her doctor at Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center. She is recovering. "We sort of wince when these stories occur," Ory says. "We're certainly hopeful for the patients. But the public is largely unaware of the problems and complications many of these families face."
The public often only sees the celebrated side of multiple births, such as the recent 10th birthday party for the Boniello sextuplets of New York who, at the time of their births, were only the third set of sextuplets born in the United States to survive.
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In vitro versus drugs
Women undergoing IVF today face a much lower risk of multiple pregnancy than they once did. As IVF techniques have improved, doctors are finding they can achieve high pregnancy rates -- especially in women younger than 35 -- while transferring only one or two embryos to the uterus. Early in the evolution of IVF, it was common for doctors to transfer six or more, hoping that one would be viable.
According to a paper to be published August in Fertility and Sterility, the percentage of clinics transferring just two embryos to a majority of women younger than 35 increased from 3.3% in 1996 to 49.9% in 2003.
But fertility drugs used to induce ovulation are cheaper than IVF and are still used by many women. Because the results can be harder to control than IVF, the drugs can carry a higher risk of multiple births. The May Fertility and Sterility study estimated the percentage of multiple births due to ovulation induction drugs at 21% for twins, 37% for triplets and 62% for quadruplets.
Fertility drugs are given to a woman who does not ovulate so that her ovaries will release at least one mature egg. Conception can occur naturally, via artificial insemination, or the eggs can be used in IVF.
