My understanding of current IVF best practices - and I am happy to be corrected, since I have no personal experience and am drawing mainly from blog-reading and book-reading - is that if the woman is under 35 and has a good fertility history (both true here, assuming this woman's six existing children are children she gave birth to) you transfer two embryos, and even consider transferring only one. To get 8 babies, probably at least 4 embryos were transferred (which would mean 4 cases of spontaneous twinning), and very likely more.
I was very surprised to hear this was an IVF case. Super-multiples have tended to be from fertility drugs (i.e. stimulating the ovaries resulting in multiple ovulations and multiple fertilizations - and even in those cases, the doctors are supposed to monitor the number of ovulations and not fertilize if, say, 8 eggs were released.)
I just can't imagine 8 babies. I mean, I can imagine it, since I have worked in a daycare center, but I can't imagine doing it at home.
On the "best practices" front, the article linked says:
Under the guidelines of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, U.S. doctors normally would not implant more than two embryos at a time in a woman under the age of 35. After that age it is more difficult to become pregnant. The mother of the octuplets is believed to be 33, based on available public records.
and
Hospital officials said the woman came to Kaiser already in her 12th week of pregnancy. They did not say where she received the fertility treatment.
Sue, I am not crazy - PBJT is the awesome.
Also judgy, but that is not a surprise.
Happy, happy birthday, Anne! Have cake and much happiness today!
Happy Birthday Anne!
I REALLY want to go to the Tenement museum, as I am obsessed with tenements. The website has a really awesome virtual tour under "Play"
Sue, I am not crazy - PBJT is the awesome.
Sarameg called you crazy on that front. I am with you on PBJT.
I REALLY want to go to the Tenement museum, as I am obsessed with tenements. The website has a really awesome virtual tour under "Play"
Come to NYC and we'll totally go!!
is that if the woman is under 35 and has a good fertility history
That would account for my friend having more embryos implanted, as she had a bad fertility hx, and was probably right around 35 at the time.
Obviously, I'm not well informed on any of this because I was lucky enough to conceive without any problems at 40.
