Move over Duggars; step aside octomom...

[DarkAnts]

Hmmm...since infertility was not a problem for me, I actually have a daughter who was conceived when I was taking Ovulin21, which probably dates me, it was 1969, I don't know what I would do if I were pregnant with high order multiples. On one hand I am definately pro choice, on the other hand how does one decide which babies should live and which should not? Just glad it never happened to me!

High order multiples are dangerous. You run the risk of loosing all of the babies and the mom. Knowing these risks, I would choose reduction.

[valsa]

Hmmm...since infertility was not a problem for me, I actually have a daughter who was conceived when I was taking Ovulin21, which probably dates me, it was 1969, I don't know what I would do if I were pregnant with high order multiples. On one hand I am definately pro choice, on the other hand how does one decide which babies should live and which should not? Just glad it never happened to me!

I read an article on a clinic that performed selective reduction and according to that, the doctor looks at which feti seem to be developing the best and recommends reducing the ones that aren't doing as well as the others. There's also the issue of which ones he can safely get to (as in, a poorly developing fetus may be in a position that would make it difficult to get to it, so the doctor may choose a more developed fetus that's better positioned) In another article, a woman who was reducing from twins to a singleton was asked which gender she wanted (I think she already had a daughter, so went with the boy) so parental preference is taken into consideration too.

[Feberin]

I'm glad that I haven't had any fertility problems so this is all just a what ifs for me. However I think selective reduction is the far better choice compared to having a litter. Yes we hear about the TLC families and whatnot that have their little miracles where they have surviving sextuplets with minimal issues. But there are so many families that loose all or many of the babies and/or have children with medical issues. I always liked the Hayes family because at least they had one child that was special needs so it seemed more realistic to me than the Gosselins or other obnoxious families that got really lucky and probably are the reason some people don't reduce. I remember hearing Kate talk about it at one point and saying something along the lines "imagine if we didn't have Leah or Colin or Alexis..." I wonder how many couples have been swayed by stuff like that only to loose all their babies.

[Coconut Flan]

There is the mother in Texas who carried all six. They were delivered at something like 22 weeks. Four died within weeks and the two survivors are seriously handicapped. That's a much more likely scenario than six relatively healthy children.

[BelieveinScience]

High order multiples are dangerous. You run the risk of loosing all of the babies and the mom. Knowing these risks, I would choose reduction.

Aren't those the same risks you have when you choose to selectively reduce fetuses?

[valsa]

I remember hearing Kate talk about it at one point and saying something along the lines "imagine if we didn't have Leah or Colin or Alexis..."

I've also heard this kind of logic in QF circles (when people allude to a QF family having too many kids, they jump to the "which ones should I not have had?" thing) and it's never made sense to me. I learned way, way back in Economics 101 that every action/choice we make has a cost. When a woman is pregnant for nine months, that's eight children she lost the opportunity to conceive because she was already pregnant. Yet no one I know regrets "the child I could have conceived when I was 3 months pregnant with my son" etc. If Leah or Colin or Alexis had been selectively reduced, they wouldn't have been Leah or Colin or Alexis- they could have been a vague "kid who could have been", just like all the rest.

[valsa]

Aren't those the same risks you have when you choose to selectively reduce fetuses?

The risk of of miscarrying all the feti is about the same, whether you choose to selectively reduce or continue a high risk pregnancy. However, with high order multiples, continuing the pregnancy also carries the risk of stillbirth, high infant mortality due to prematurity, high risk of life-long disability due to prematurity, and greater risk of death or disability to the mother.