U.S. Twin Birth Rate at All-Time Hig

 More pregnant women are getting greater than they may have customary, according to a excuse around 30-year trends in twin births.

In 2009, 1 in all 30 babies born in the United States was a twin, compared following 1 in all 53 babies in 1980, according to the Data Brief from the CDCs National Center for Health Statistics.

That represents a 76% hop in the twin birth rate.

Of note even if, difficult than half of twins born from 1980 to 2009 were low birth weight, or less than 5 1/2 pounds, according to the excuse. One in 10 was every single one low birth weight, or less than 3 pounds, 5 ounces. Only 1 in 100 single babies is intensely low birth weight, explanation scholarly Joyce Martin, MPH.

When Martin first started studying twin birth rates years ago, she says, the impact upon the moms and babies health tended to acquire overlooked. Instead, Martin says, The idea was, Isnt this interesting? Most twins do dexterously, she says, but they are more likely than single babies to experience complications associated to prematurity and low birth weight, such as enliven problems.

Martin and her co-authors attribute the lump in the twin birth rate mainly to the expanding use of fertility treatments, namely ovulation stimulation medications and in-vitro fertilization.

The supplement major factor is the older age of mothers. In women whove conceived without the benefit of fertility treatments, the unplanned of having twins increases as soon as age and peaks in the late 30s.

In 1980, just more or less 20% of all births (singles and multiples) were to women aged 30 and older. In 2000-2009, they accounted for on severity of 35% of every births.

Twin Birth Rates Highest in Women 40 and Older

Because fertility treatments are more commonly used in older women, twin birth rates have been highest in the midst of women in their 40s back 1997, the authors write. In 2009, 7% of babies born to women 40 and older came in pairs, compared once 5% of births to women 35-39, and 2% of births to women below 25.

The tide may be turning, even though. The pace of the sum in the overall twin birth rate, which upon average rose 2% a year from 1980 until 2004, did slow to less than 1% annually from 2005-2009, the authors write.

One contributing factor could be refinements in the use of fertility-enhancing technologies, Martin says.

In adding going on, Martin says, the triplet birth rate has stabilized somewhat, although it is yet much higher than it was by now fertility treatments became contiguously.

Fertility specialists have made a concerted effort more than the last several years to minimize the chances of merged births by reducing the number of embryos transferred in an in-vitro fertilization cycle, says Eric Widra, MD, a Washington, D.C., doctor who serves regarding the practice committee of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine.

In October, the practice committees of the ASRM and the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART) issued a bank account calling for greater use of single embryo transfer in in-vitro fertilization. Studies have shown that pregnancy rates as soon as this associations are high in women who are enjoyable candidates. They include those out cold age 35, having highly developed than one high-setting embryo roomy, whove at the forefront gotten pregnant since in-vitro fertilization, who are in the first or second IVF treatment cycle, and whove recognized donor eggs.