Artificial insemination: risk due to legal situation

In Germany, however, it is forbidden to produce a larger number of embryos than are to be transferred to the woman later in a cycle. This is to avoid the creation of so-called surplus embryos. Therefore, a selection cannot be made from a larger number of embryos with regard to the chances of development.

In addition, couples and women in Germany have to bear a considerable proportion of the costs of in vitro fertilisation treatment themselves. As a result, women in Germany often have two or three embryos transferred in order to increase their chances of pregnancy. This leads to a higher probability of multiple pregnancies, which are very risky for the woman, but above all for the children.