Second embryo may hurt IVF success

Putting two embryos back during IVF can cut the chance of becoming pregnant by more than a quarter if one is poor quality, new research suggests.

A study of almost 1,500 embryos that were implanted in women of all ages found that putting back a good embryo with one that was poorer quality dramatically cut the chance of a successful pregnancy compared to just transferring one embryo.

Experts behind the study believe that the body tends to focus on the poorer quality embryo and rejects a possible pregnancy, rather than focussing on the healthy embryo that would lead to a successful birth.