Korean J Obstet Gynecol.  2003 Feb;46(2):435-439.

A Case of Anencephaly Associated with Twin Pregnancy Conceived by In Vitro Fertilization and Embryo Transfer

• Joung JS
• Kim KK
• Park JH
• Bae SK
• Kee HS
• Lee JY
• Kim JH
• Park JW

Abstract

Twin pregnancies are increasing these days due to recent development of the technology in treating infertility and twin pregnancies tend to cause more congenital anomaly than singleton pregnancies do. Although anencephaly is not uncommon, occurring in about one in every 1,000 births, anencephaly developed in a twin pregnancy is very rare. We experienced a twin pregnancy which consisted of an anencephalic fetus and a normal one. This pregnancy was conceived by IVF and ET. This pregnancy was continued without having special problems and was delivered at 36 weeks of gestation by cesarean section due to SROM (spontaneous rupture of membrane). The anencephalic fetus weighed 1,430 gm and was already dead in the uterus. The other weighed 2,660 gm and showed no external anomaly. Its Apgar score was 8 in 1 minute and 9 in 5 minute. The pregnancy resulted in a cesarean section delivery of one dead anencephalic fetus and one normal healthy fetus. We report with a brief review of literature a case of a twin pregnancy, conceived by IVF and ET, in which anencephaly was associated with a normal fetus.

Keyword

Twin; Anencephaly; IVF and ET

MeSH Terms

Anencephaly*
Apgar Score
Cesarean Section
Embryo Transfer*
Embryonic Structures*
Female
Fertilization in Vitro*
Fetus
Humans
Infertility
Parturition
Pregnancy
Pregnancy, Twin*
Rupture
Twins*
Uterus