Questions to ask your clinician

When you meet with your clinician, make sure you understand whether your treatment significantly increases your risk of multiple birth.

If it does, make sure you are happy that the risks involved in multiple births have been fully explained to you and that you are clear about the best way to minimise them in your particular case, without affecting your chances of getting pregnant.

If you’re receiving any type of fertility treatment, you should ask the following questions:

• What is the risk of multiple birth in my particular case?
• What are the effects on any unborn children of a multiple birth?
• What might be the effects on me of a multiple birth?
• Would a different treatment/approach reduce the risk?
• How will any fertility drugs I am prescribed be regulated to control my likelihood of a multiple birth?
• Do you have any printed information on the risks of multiple birth?

If your treatment involves the transfer of embryos, for example, in vitro fertilisation (IVF), intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) or egg donation, you might want to ask the following additional questions:

• Will single embryo transfer (SET) affect my chances of getting pregnant?
• Will any remaining viable embryos be frozen and stored for use in subsequent treatments, if the first one fails?
• Will I have to pay extra for additional frozen/thawed treatments?