Radboud Annals of Medical Students

RAMS

  • Home
  • Sign up – Masterclasses 2023!
  • News
    • Newsletter archive
  • About
    • RAMS
    • The Board
    • The General Board
      • The General Board (2022-2023)
      • Previous General Boards
    • The Editorial Board
      • The Editorial Board (2022-2023)
      • Previous Editorial Boards
    • The Supervisory Board
    • Reviewers and Editors
    • RAMS Committees
      • Symposium Committee
      • Masterclass Committee
  • Editions
    • 2021-2022
      • Twentieth Edition – September 2021
      • Twentyfirst Edition – December 2021
      • Twenty second Edition – March 2022
    • 2020-2021
      • Sixteenth edition – September 2020
      • Seventeenth edition – December 2020
      • Eighteenth edition – March 2021
      • Nineteenth Edition – June 2021
    • 2019-2020
      • Fourteenth edition – December 2019
      • Fifteenth edition – April 2020
      • Sixteenth edition – September 2020
    • 2018-2019
      • Eleventh Edition – September 2018
      • Twelfth Edition – January 2019
      • Thirteenth edition – May 2019
    • 2017 – 2018
      • Ninth Edition – November 2017
      • Tenth Edition – February 2018
    • 2016-2017
      • Sixth Edition – November 2016
      • Seventh Edition – March 2017
      • Eighth Edition – July 2017
    • 2015-2016
      • Third Edition – November 2015
      • Fourth Edition – March 2016
      • Fifth Edition – June 2016
    • 2014-2015
      • Pilot Edition – June 2014
      • First Edition – January 2015
      • Second Edition – June 2015
  • For Authors
    • Submit your Article
    • Research internship
  • For Supervisors
  • For Reviewers
  • Contact
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookiebeleid (EU)
Je bent hier: Home / Articles / The more the merrier

The more the merrier

1 juli 2017 by Rams

By Mirjam Schaap

My parents couldn’t be happier when they discovered they were expecting triplets. I can hear you think – triplets? Yes, you’ve heard me right. Some might shiver by the thought of thousands of diapers, others might be charmed by the thought of three toddlers hopping around (surrounded by pink clouds, a rainbow and some unicorns). Anyway, I’m very grateful that me and my siblings were born blurred of health. This is not usual in higher multiple pregnancies, since there’s a greater risk of fetal and maternal complications. That’s why nowadays, embryo reduction(ER) is offered in multiple pregnancies.

Due to the rise of fertility treatments as in-vitro fertilization and ovarian stimulation in the ’80, the number of higher multiple pregnancies increased1. The fact that women tend to have children at an older age played a role as well, since older women have a higher “risk” of a multiple pregnancy. In the Netherlands, the largest number of multiple pregnancies (three or more embryos) was in 1991, with an incidence of 1241. This number decreased to 40-50 pregnancies a year, because of a more restrictive policy in fertility treatment. As a response, the method of ER was developed. The idea behind this is limiting the risk of complications and perinatal death by reducing, in this case triplets, to a twin or even singleton pregnancy2.

ER in the early pregnancy can either be done by fetal intracardiac injection of potassium chloride or radiofrequency ablation of the umbilical cord. The dead embryo will be absorbed by the body of the mother2. ER is not without a risk: there’s a 4% chance of miscarriage3. This is even a higher price if you consider that a lot of women offered ER are pregnant after fertility treatment. A tough choice to make: chorionicity, number of embryos and psychosocial factors all play a role. Quite some studies have tried to quantify the pros and cons of ER, but in practice the psychosocial factor is often decisive3. As a biased person myself, my choice would be easy: the more the merrier!

 

  1. Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek. (2016). Minder tweelingen geboren. Retrieved from https://www.cbs.nl/nl-nl/nieuws/2016/39/minder-tweelingen-geboren.
  2. Stone J, Kohari K. High order multiples. Clin Obstet Gynecol. September 2015. 58(3): 668-675.
  3. NVOG Richtlijn meerlingzwangerschap versie 3.0. Maart 2011.

Categorie: Articles, News, Uncategorized

RAMS Newsletter

RAMS complies to the GDPR. By submitting your e-mail address to us you agree with our Privacy Policy.

Social Media


Sponsors & Partners

  • Brian Gardner
  • Lauren Mancke
  • Nathan Rice
  • Nick Croft
  • Rafal Tomal
  • Ron Rennick
© Copyright 2014 RADBOUD ANNALS OF MEDICAL STUDENTS · All Rights Reserved · Powered by PLatform11
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie SettingsAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Altijd ingeschakeld
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDuurOmschrijving
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
OPSLAAN & ACCEPTEREN
Aangedreven door CookieYes Logo