Deciding how many embryos to transfer after in vitro fertilisation: development and pilot test of a decision aid.

Objective: When deciding how many embryos to transfer during in vitro fertilisation (IVF), clinicians and patients have to balance optimizing the chance of pregnancy against preventing multiple pregnancies and the associated complications. This paper describes the development and pilot test of a patient decision aid (DA) for this purpose.

Methods: The development of the DA consisted of a literature search, establishment of the format, and a pilot test among IVF patients. The DA development was supervised by a panel of experts in the fields of subfertility, obstetrics and DA-research and it was based on the criteria of the International Patient Decision Aid Standards.

Results: One Cochrane review and 34 articles were selected for the DA content. The DA presents information in text, summaries, tables, figures and through an interactive worksheet. The DA was reviewed positively and as acceptable for use in clinical practice by patients and professionals.

Conclusion: The DA was thoroughly developed and is likely to be helpful for the decision-making process for the number of embryos transferred after IVF.

Practice Implications: Physicians and researchers can use the DA without restriction in clinical practice or research related to decision-making.