Attempts to Reduce Multiple Pregnancies Push Older Women Abroad

Attempts to Reduce Multiple Pregnancies Push Older Women Abroad

The rate of multiple pregnancies has increased over the past ten years for all age groups; however, studies show that the largest increase is in the cohort of women aged 45 and older.

Infertility in women over the age of 45 is common. Older women trying to overcome infertility are seeking treatment abroad, where clinics are less regulated than in their home countries.

There are many great infertility treatments available to women. However, there are also several infertility treatment risks, including multiple pregnancies.

Multiple pregnancy occurs when more than one fetus is carried during a single pregnancy.

In the UK, 156 women over the age of 45 gave birth to twins or triplets in 2009 compared to 29 women a decade earlier, according to the Office of National Statistics.

Multiple pregnancy is one of the largest risks to pregnant mothers and their babies by increasing the chances of miscarriage, stillbirth, and doubling the mother's likelihood of death. In addition, babies are more likely to be premature, have physical abnormalities, and long-term health problems.

In 2009, the UK took action to reduce multiple pregnancies by setting guidelines, called One at a Time, for clinics to only allow multiple pregnancies to 25% of its patients. The goal was to reduce the UK's rate of multiple pregnancies to 20% by 2010. According to the data released by the ONS, One at a Time has not achieved its goal.

"What we are seeing here is that the One at a Time guidance has not fed through yet. If we focus on women over 40, it is almost certain that the rise in multiple pregnancies is through egg donation and a lot of this is through fertility tourism where clinics are largely unregulated," stated Tony Rutherford, Chairman of the British Fertility Society.

The problem extends beyond the health risks involved with multiple pregnancies and into cost. Multiple pregnancies are much more expensive than regular births. A single baby costs the National Health Service (NHS) in the UK about $4,800 whereas twins cost the NHS about $14,000. The price continually rises with triples, quadruplets, etc.

Therefore, setting a quota and reducing the funding for fertility treatment pushes women to seek treatment care abroad. While regulation may be less stringent in other countries, the level of treatment may be so as well. Women migrating abroad may help the NHS is reducing it's costs, but it does not assist in reducing the risks surrounding infertility treatments.

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