We interrupt this series on Freud with a news flash: Multifetal pregnancy reduction has made it into the popular press in the USA. There is an article in the New York times about it. " The two minus one pregnancy." Lots about how much better it is to carry, deliver and care for one baby than two, but not a whisper about the survivors. The level of ignorance about this side of things is breathtaking. Its all about Mum, not the remaining baby.
When a twin dies before birth, the sole survivor needs help and understanding. Womb twin survivors are the sole survivors of a twin or multiple pregnancy. This group, 1 in 10 of the population, includes survivors of a stillbirth, miscarriage, abortion and a "vanishing twin" pregnancy. It is a story of a twin bond broken by death, leaving a lonely survivor.
Showing posts with label multi-fetal pregnancy reduction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label multi-fetal pregnancy reduction. Show all posts
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Saturday, June 18, 2011
4-D ultrasound of triplets crammed into a tiny space at 23 weeks old
Its not easy being a multiple! There is a common misapprehension that fetuses in the womb cannot possibly be aware of each other....... hard to believe, when you see images like this, with three fetuses wrapped around each other!
But what if one of these triplets died? The two survivors would inherit more space, more nourishment and would be in a better state at birth, possibly born a little later and better developed than if there had been only two. This is why "multi fetal pregnancy reduction" ( ie the abortion of one triplet to reduce the number to twins) is considered as a good idea, even a responsible action, by the doctors involved.
All the medical evidence says that babies do better as singletons than as twins, or as twins rather than as triplets. All the medical evidence is quite clear on this subject. No one thinks of the psychological effect.
The two surviving triplets, born as "fraternal twins", would be treated as twins all their lives, but they would both know, deep inside, that there should have been three. One day they will start wondering, even asking, about the other one.
What will the parents say then, I wonder?
There is a fully-referenced section on Multi-Fetal Pregnancy Reduction in my new book.
But what if one of these triplets died? The two survivors would inherit more space, more nourishment and would be in a better state at birth, possibly born a little later and better developed than if there had been only two. This is why "multi fetal pregnancy reduction" ( ie the abortion of one triplet to reduce the number to twins) is considered as a good idea, even a responsible action, by the doctors involved.
All the medical evidence says that babies do better as singletons than as twins, or as twins rather than as triplets. All the medical evidence is quite clear on this subject. No one thinks of the psychological effect.
The two surviving triplets, born as "fraternal twins", would be treated as twins all their lives, but they would both know, deep inside, that there should have been three. One day they will start wondering, even asking, about the other one.
What will the parents say then, I wonder?
There is a fully-referenced section on Multi-Fetal Pregnancy Reduction in my new book.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Multifetal pregnancy reduction: what about the survivors?
I read this today:
Assisted reproductive technology (ART) and fertility drugs have greatly increased the number of multiple pregnancies in America. The goal of MFPR is to increase the chance of a successful, healthy pregnancy. Multifetal pregnancy reduction:
My thoughts: - Is usually done early in a pregnancy, between the 9th and 12th weeks
- Is most often performed when there are four or more fetuses present.
- Can be used to reduce triplets to twins. This practice makes the fetuses' chances of a healthy outcome the same as that of the average twin pregnancy.
- Is known as "selective termination" when it involves a fetus with severe defects or one that is expected to die later in the pregnancy, which would threaten the life of the surviving fetus or fetuses. A multifetal pregnancy reduction improves your chances of avoiding miscarriage, carrying your pregnancy longer, and delivering one or more healthy babies.. Read more here
The loss of a triplet doesn't create a pair of twins. It leaves a pair of triplet survivors.
MFPR is a terrible decision for parents to make.
More......
Medical staff try to persuade women to go for single embryo transfer in IVF so there are not so many multiple conceptions:
The decision to reduce one or more fetuses is extremely complicated, and numerous factors must be considered, since the procedure has risks, such as loss of the entire pregnancy or preterm labor and birth of the remaining fetuses. In addition, there are also psychological risks for the mother. Typically women faced with this decision have struggled for years with infertility and now they are asked to consider terminating one or more of the fetuses to prevent morbidity and/or mortality in others. Nurses who work with infertile women may be able to assist in minimizing the need for multifetal pregnancy reduction by educating women about the risks associated with assisted reproductive technologies and higher order multifetal pregnancy before decisions are made about multiple embryo transfers or intrauterine insemination after ovulation induction. more......
I'm glad they are considering the psychological risks for the mother, but what about the effect on the survivors? There are plenty of little womb triplet or quadruplet survivors toddling about now, who will probably never be told that their parents decided to "reduce" their brothers and sisters.
I hope that this work with womb twin survivors will provide the insights that the psychologists will need in a few years time to help these kids.
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