Consideration of new strategies

To maximize pregnancy rates, physicians who perform IVF, often transfer mul tiple embryos, which increases the multiple birth risk. Multiple birth infa nts are at significant risk for a number of adverse outcomes including pret erm delivery, low birth weight, congenital malformations, fetal and infant deaths and long term morbidity and disability among survivors. Since the ul timate goal for an IVF treatment is the birth of a healthy infant, an impor tant issue for all kinds of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) must b e the reduction or elimination of multiple pregnancies. In this article, di fferent strategies to avoid multiple births in ART are discussed.