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Everyone's Having Twins: The Surge of Multiples

By HERWriter Guide
 
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Reproductive System related image Photo: Getty Images

When I was growing up, most people knew or knew of a set of twins. Some of us had a set of twins in our class but it was always a novelty of sorts. Twins weren't very common so knowing a pair was quite exciting.

All three of my children have had twins in their class -- every year. I know several sets of parents who have twins and it's not something my kids find unusual.

This is because in the past thirty years, the number of twin births has grown by 76 percent. In fact, one out of every 30 births is a twin birth.

Black women have always had a higher rate of twins births compared to white, Asian or Hispanics. But white women have caught up quickly and are now at a par with black women in terms of twin births.

There are two main reasons why multiple births have increased. One is the use of fertility treatments.

According to EmpowHER's Dr. Curtis Cook, a doctor specializing in multiple pregnancies and births, "... multiple births are becoming increasingly common in mostly, secondary to phenomena, one being assisted reproductive technology, as we are doing more IVF procedures and also because of women having children at later gestational ages where they are more prone to have twinning."

Fertility treatments for women end up with multiple births due to the implantation of more than one embryo, in order to increase the odds of conception. Another reason is the increasing trend of women who delay starting families until their late 30s and early 40s.

The older a woman gets, the more her odds of having twins increase. This is due to the fact that she has more of the follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) that allows a woman to get pregnant.

This increase in FSH can actually be a sign that a woman's fertility is decreasing rather than increasing but nonetheless, it can result in a twin pregnancy.

While having twins is generally quite safe these days, a twin pregnancy is considered high risk. Twins are often born prematurely and require extra medical care.

Delays can also be seen in growth and development but generally, twins grow up to be as healthy as their peers.

Tell Us
Are you a twin or do you have twins? Do you see more twins around you now?

SOURCES:

EmpowHER.com. Pregnancy. Are Multiple Births Common? Web. January 24th 202.
https://www.empowher.com/pregnancy/content/are-multiple-births-common-dr...

The New York Times. Twin Births in the U.S., Like Never Before. Web. January 23th 2012.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/24/health/research/twin-births-in-the-us-...

Reviewed January 24, 2012
by Michele Blacksberg RN
Edited by Jody Smith

Add a Comment1 Comments

EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

I also found it very uncommon to find twins that i knew of when growing up. But the people I know that are having twins right now do not fall into the reasons given. I know of about 6 coulpes that have or are having twins and they have NOT needed fertility treatments and they are in the 25 yrs old range. I think there

March 6, 2013 - 4:52am

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We value and respect our HERWriters' experiences, but everyone is different. Many of our writers are speaking from personal experience, and what's worked for them may not work for you. Their articles are not a substitute for medical advice, although we hope you can gain knowledge from their insight.