How does in vitro fertilization (IVF) work?
Dr. Chung: With in vitro fertilization, the same medications are used to stimulate women’s ovaries but instead of intrauterine insemination, we extract the eggs and fertilize them in the lab, then decide how many embryos to put back into the uterus. Typically in a woman at [Nadia’s] age [33], it’s two embryos. With three embryos, serious counseling needs to take place first. Triplets is a bad outcome—selective reduction [terminating one fetus or more] needs to be considered. Some people aren’t aware that triplets aren’t a good outcome. My job is to tell them it’s not a good outcome; it’s not healthy for the mom or the baby.
