Multiple Births On The Rise In U.S.

Sat., Aug. 6, 1994

The number of twins and triplets born in the United States is increasing at a much higher rate than the number of single births, says to a Rush Medical College study.

From 1973 to 1990, twin births rose 65 percent, more than twice as much as single births during the same time period, the study found. Triplet births increased 221 percent - seven times higher than the number of single births, according to the study, published in the July issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.

Twins accounted for one in every every 43 births in 1990 and triplets represented one in every 1,341 births, reported researcher Barbara Luke.

The shift is due in part to a trend toward delaying childbearing. Older women are more likely to release multiple eggs during ovulation.

In others who delay childbirth until after 30 years of age, there is an increased risk of infertility and a greater use of fertility drugs, which also increases the chances of a multiple birth.The rise in the number of multiple births “is of national importance,” noted Luke. “Comprehensive and aggressive prenatal care to assure the best outcomes, including adequate maternal nutrition, should be the goal for clinicians and institutions caring for these women.”

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