This positive development is largely due to the policy of implanting just one egg into the woman's womb, with Dr. Anna -Karina Henningson of the University Hospital of Copenhagen, saying: "These data show if there is a national policy to transfer only one embryo per cycle during assisted reproduction, this not only lowers the rates of multiple pregnancies, but also has an important effect on the health of the single baby."
Commenting on the research, which investigated the health of Scandinavian infants between the years 1988 and 2007, Dr. Henningson went on to say: "During the 20 year period of our study, we observed a remarkable decline in the risk of being born preterm or very preterm."
The researchers are eager to highlight the other contributing factors to a successful IVF pregnancy today, saying: "We have improved both the technical skill in the laboratory and the clinical skills of the doctors and also perform milder ovarian stimulation."
Dr. Henningson continues, by saying: "The culture media in which the embryos are first developed in the laboratory have improved in quality as have the hormonal medication used to help women produce a sufficient number of high quality eggs at the right time."
The study has been published in the journal Human Reproduction.
