Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Wallace of Saltaire on 1 December (HL3088), what was the overall incidence of stillbirths from in vitro fertilisation pregnancies for the past decade following foetal reduction in either the first trimester or early in the second trimester that affected (1) the remaining twin from the same twin pregnancy, (2) one of the remaining triplets from the same pregnancy, and (3) both of the remaining triplets from the same pregnancy, according to data held by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority.

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that in the decade preceding 31 December 2012, the HFEA register records one incidence of a still birth following an embryo reduction at week 13 in a twin pregnancy, and one incidence of a still birth following a double embryo reduction at 12 weeks in a triplet pregnancy. Within this time period there are no other records of incidences of still births following foetal reductions in multiple pregnancies taking place within the first 16 weeks of pregnancy.

The first trimester has been taken as weeks 0-13 and ‘early in the second trimester’ as weeks 14-16.

The HFEA has also advised that any records held on its register after 31 December 2012 are not yet verified.