Atlanta, GA – The American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) today released newly revised guidelines on the number of embryos to transfer during in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedures. The guidelines, part of an ongoing effort to reduce the number of multiple births following fertility treatments, were changed in two important ways:

The guidelines now make clear that while exceptions may be allowable for patients with a less favorable prognosis, those exceptions are quite limited. Specifically, regardless of prognosis, only one more embryo than called for in the guidelines should be transferred. The patient must be counseled on the risks of a multi-fetal pregnancy, and both the exception from the guidelines and counseling should be documented in the patient’s medical record.

The fact that the number of embryos transferred is the same for fresh or frozen embryos is now made explicit in the document, as well.

The ASRM first published embryo transfer guidelines more than a decade ago and has seen a reduction of nearly 60% in the number of high order multiple births as a result. This revision is the latest effort to continue to address this problem.

“It is clear that these guidelines have a terrific impact on clinical practice. Over the years we have seen a reduction in the number of high order multiple births while maintaining strong success rates. This latest revision is our most recent effort to help our members provide their patients with the best, safest care possible,” said R. Dale McClure, MD, President of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine.