TRIZYGOTIC QUADRUPLET PREGNANCY FOLLOWING IN-VITRO FERTILIZATION - ANADDITIONAL FACTOR AGAINST REPLACEMENT OF 3 EMBRYOS IN YOUNG-PATIENTS

A study of a 25 year old woman with a previous history of tubal damage , ectopic pregnancy and unsuccessful tubal surgery is reported. Follow ing in-vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment, four viable fetuses were r evealed by ultrasound scan at 10 weeks gestation. Two shared the same gestational sac, thus establishing a trizygotic quadruplet pregnancy. The implications of monozygotic twinning in humans are discussed. It i s concluded that embryo splitting and its consequences should be serio usly considered when multiple embryo transfer in young patients is con templated.