When does two equal three? When an Indiana couple had two human embryos implanted in an IVF technique recently, they got more than they bargained for — a surprise baby!
Interestingly enough, Sarah Imbierowicz and her husband Bill already have a set of triplets, and a three-year old boy. In two months, they will be welcoming home a second set — three girls.
“I would be lying through my teeth if I said I wasn’t a little overwhelmed,” said Imbierowicz, 36, in an interview with ABC News. “But I also know that with the help we have, there’s never going to be a baby not being held or a toddler not being played with. It will all work out.”
The couple slogged through three years of failed IVF cycles before getting pregnant with Will – the lone result of four embryos delicately dropped in Imbierowicz’s womb.
“We started out transferring two at a time but we miscarried several times,” she said. “Eventually we got to the point where we decided to transfer four.”
When Will turned one, the Imbierowiczs wanted to give
him a playmate. This time, they transferred three embryos hoping for the same luck as before: a single healthy baby. Instead, they got three.
“We knew there was a chance, but since it didn’t happen before, we d
idn’t expect it,” said Sarah Imbierowicz, adding that only one of the three embryos was considered “good quality.” The second, she said, was “not great” and the third: “They said there wasn’t much point even trying to use it.”
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But all three embryos developed into three healthy babies, born weighing between five pounds, eight ounces and six pounds, one ounce.
Because of the risk associated with multiples, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine recommends transferring no more than two embryos for women 35 and younger.
