The risks associated with multiple gestation include increased rates of pre-term delivery and low infant birth weights, perinatal mortality, cerebral palsy and socioeconomic complications. Because of these risks, single embryo transfer is often the treatment of choice. Yet, less than 2% of the embryo transfers in 2005 involved transfer of a single embryo, indicating a gap in physician practice. While the best practice is one where the patients with the most favorable prognoses are selected for single embryo transfer (SET), many ART programs continue to transfer multiple embryos, resulting in multiple pregnancies and their associated risks. The primary reasons for this practice include increasing the odds of pregnancy, inability to identify the embryo that has the greatest potential to result in a live birth, and the requests of the patients. For this, better patient education is needed, along with better information on which patients and embryos are best for single embryo transfer.

This course is designed for physicians, lab directors, nurses and lab technicians who work in assisted reproductive technology clinics. Discussions will focus on the history and current practice of embryo assessment and transfer, assessment and education of patients regarding single embryo transfer, and current and future technologies for improving ART.

Emphasis will be on increasing the appropriate utilization of single embryo transfer.


LEARNING OBJECTIVES

At the conclusion of this course, participants should be able to:
1. Describe the common multiple embryo transfer practice and how to reduce multiple rates by utilizing single embryo
transfer in the best outcome patients.
2. Design patient education activities to explain the risks associated with multiple pregnancy and reduce patients’ common acceptance of and desire for twins.
3. Explain currently available and future non-invasive, objective methods for assessing oocytes and embryos alone and in collaboration with current morphologic methods such as embryo cleavage rate, morphology, etc.

To purchase a downloadable PDF of the PG course syllabus or syllabi, click here.