Two sets of monozygotic twins after intracytoplasmic sperm injection and transfer of two embryos on day 2.

OBJECTIVE

To report a case of quadruple gestation (two sets of monozygotic twins) after intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) and transfer of two embryos.

DESIGN

Case report.

SETTING

Tertiary clinical and academic medical center.

PATIENT(S): Thirty-four-year-old patient who underwent an ICSI cycle.

INTERVENTION(S): After 7 years of primary sterility for andrologic subfertility, the patient underwent an ICSI cycle, with transfer of two embryos on day 2.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Transvaginal sonogram performed at the 36th day of gestational age showed a quadruple gestation (dichorionic-quadramniotic).

RESULT(S): After receiving extensive counseling, the couple decided to proceed to a nonselective reduction of a set of monozygotic twins. Final outcome was complete loss of pregnancy.

CONCLUSION(S): Several factors have been involved in the etiopathogenesis of monozygotic twins in assisted reproductive technology: maternal age, extended embryo culture and in vitro culture condition, blastocyst-stage transfer, ICSI, and assisted hatching. One of the most important objectives in assisted reproductive technology is to reduce the multiple-gestation rate; therefore, it is necessary to determine the optimum number of embryos to be transferred in each case. In addition, couples must be informed that monozygotic-twin pregnancies could be an important complication in IVF-ICSI cycles.