TWINS and triplets born after fertility treatment cost the NHS between three and ten times more than singleton IVF babies, an independent analysis of the economic impact of multiple births has revealed.

Pregnancy complications, premature births and a much higher rate of disability among twins and triplets contribute to an annual care bill of almost £18 million for 3,500 children, according to the study from the University of Sheffield.

The calculations include only costs incurred during pregnancy, labour and the first year of life. The research did not take into account the lifelong care costs of twins and triplets born with disabilities, which are up to ten times more common with multiple births.

The findings, from a team led by Bill Ledger, show clearly that multiple births as a result of IVF are not only hazardous for mothers and their infants but are also a heavy burden on the taxpayer. The extra cost of their care is easily the largest element of NHS fertility spending after treatment itself.

Professor Ledger said that the Government could make significant savings by insisting that only one embryo, instead of two or three, is transferred to the womb during IVF procedures. This would also have great health benefits. The money saved could be used to fund more cycles of fertility treatment than the single attempt currently provided free.

“If the NHS is paying it can mandate just one embryo at a time,” Professor Ledger told the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology conference in Copenhagen. “You would then clearly have to fund more than one cycle (to achieve a good success rate), but the cost of that would be partly offset by the reduction in multiple births.

“There is a lot of money to be saved by cutting multiple births, not to mention all the tragedies and struggles that would be avoided as well.”

The NHS spends £85 million on providing a single cycle of IVF to women under 40. It would cost about £100 million more to offer three free cycles.

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