Selective reduction (or fetal reduction) is the practice of reducing the number of fetuses in a multifetal pregnancy (i.e. those involving more than one fetus). The aim of the procedure is to avoid the medical issues generally related to multiple births (including premature births, low birth weights and associated medical problems). Fetus at eight weeks Foetus redirects here. ... Pregnancy Pregnancy is the carrying of one or more embryos or fetuses by female mammals, including humans, inside their bodies. ...

Selective reduction is most often used to reduce a higher-order multiple pregnancy (one with three or more fetuses) to a twin or singleton pregnancy. It can also be used to reduce a twin pregnancy to a singleton one, but this is less common as the risks in twin pregnancies, while existant, are much lower than in higher-order multiple ones.

Often, genetic testing is used to determine which of the fetuses has a greater chance of genetic defect or genetic disease. Those fetuses are then targeted in the reduction because of the probability of their health being inferior to that of the others. It is reasoned that while some of the fetuses will be terminated to preserve the well-being of the others and the mother, the ones that are terminated might as well be the ones that will face health issues upon their birth more than the complications of being born alongside several siblings. This adds a new dimension of controversy; beyond the already controversial nature of abortion, critics charge that selective reduction is a form of eugenics. Eugenics is the self-direction of human evolution: Logo from the Second International Congress of Eugenics, 1921, depicting it as a tree which unites a variety of different fields. ...

The procedure is generally carried out between 9 and 12 weeks of pregnancy. The most common method is to inject a chemical solution into the fetus or fetuses selected for either genetic reasons or for ease of accessibility. Generally, the fetal material is reabsorbed into the mother's body. While the procedure generally reduces the over-all risk level for the remaining fetus or fetuses, selective reduction does have its own risks, including the possibility that one or more of the remaining fetuses will also die.

Selective reduction can be a very difficult decision for those who choose to make it; in many cases it is a decision faced by couples who used fertility treatments that resulted in a multifetal pregnancy.

See also

• Abortion