Some people cry when they are told that they are having twins, some people stare blankly trying to take it all in, my husband and I laughed. The concept of one baby being born is fairly amazing, but two at the same time? Whoa. That's how I felt when I discovered that I was going to have twins.
Twins are pretty fascinating. In a look at the twin birth rate for the past 30 years, there have been some dramatic differences in how many twins are being born and what the typical twin mother looks like. Here are some examples:
- In 1980 one out of every 53 births was a twin. In 2009, one out of every 30 births was a twin. This is a rise in the twin birth rate by 76% (18.9 to 33.3 per 1,000 births) in that time period.
- Prior to this time, from about 1915 onward, the twin birth rate was stable at about 2% of all births.
- Twins make up 96% of all multiple births.
- Twin birth rates increase naturally with age - the older you are, the more likely you are to have twins spontaneously. This peaks in the 35-39 age range. In this age range in the study, the twin birth rates climbed 100% and in women over age 40, the twin birth rate was up 200%.
- Maternal ages are going up in all pregnancies, meaning more and more "older" mothers are giving birth. This only accounts for about a third of the rise in twin birth rates.
- In the 1980s assisted reproductive technologies (ART) (fertility treatments) became more common and more likely to work. This is where the vast majority (2/3) of the rise in twins came from in all age groups.
- A twin pregnancy is riskier for both mom and her babies.
One of the questions I get asked a lot is, how do I increase the chances that I'll have twins? My first thought is, "Do you really want to do that?" While having twins has been so amazing, it's also been incredibly difficult and then all those added risks and worry. Most mothers of twins say it was all worth it in the end. So do you think you're having twins?
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Source:
Martin JA, Hamilton BE, Osterman MJK. Three decades of twin births in the United States, 1980-2009. NCHS data brief, no 80. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2012.
Photo © Steve Allen/Getty Images
The Changing Twin Birth Rates originally appeared on About.com Pregnancy & Childbirth on Wednesday, January 4th, 2012 at 12:00:51.
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