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Monochorionic triamniotic triplet pregnancies with assisted reproductive technology: Two case reports
Author(s) -
Iwamoto Hideki,
Yoshida Atsumi,
Suzuki Hiroki,
Tanaka Miho,
Takeuchi Takumi,
Nakamura Takumi,
Watanabe Noriko,
Suzuki Yukinari,
Sugimura Kazuyo
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
journal of obstetrics and gynaecology research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.597
H-Index - 50
eISSN - 1447-0756
pISSN - 1341-8076
DOI - 10.1111/j.1447-0756.2010.01235.x
Subject(s) - zona pellucida , assisted reproductive technology , medicine , gestation , obstetrics , blastocyst , pregnancy , gynecology , monozygotic twin , andrology , embryo , biology , oocyte , genetics , infertility , embryogenesis
Developments in assisted reproductive technology have allowed us to decrease the numbers of transferred embryos and thereby reduce the risk of multifetal pregnancies. However, even when the numbers of transferred embryos are restricted, the incidence of monozygotic multiple pregnancies is not reduced, and can be significantly higher than normal. We report two cases of monochorionic triamniotic triplet pregnancies after applying assisted reproductive technology. Three male babies were born in one pregnancy and the other pregnancy aborted at 10 weeks of gestation. Several factors, such as manipulation of the zona pellucida or extended blastocyst culture, might increase the risk of such monozygotic multiple gestations in this setting, but the actual causes remain unknown. Besides detecting predictive factors for monozygotic pregnancies, any manipulation of the zona pellucida in combination with blastocyst culture must be done cautiously to minimize the likelihood of monochorionic multiple pregnancies.