You're not alone if you're pregnant with more than one baby. Recently, the numbers of multiple births have increased. Sometimes twins, triplets and more will look exactly the same (identical) but most of the time they look no more alike than typical siblings (fraternal).

 

Multiple Matters- Twins, Triplets & More

Being pregnant with multiples increases risk of:

• Preeclampsia
• Pre-term labor
• Cesarean section
• Low birth weight
• Gestational diabetes

Birth rates (U.S.) 2012

• Singleton births: 3,952,037
• Twin births: 131,269
• Triplet births: 4,598

• 1980: 1 in 53 births in the U.S. are twins
• 2009: 1 in 30 births in the U.S. are twins

Older women are more likely to conceive twins. Why?

• Possibly due to higher levels of follicle-stimulating hormone, which can result in more than one fertilized egg
• Twin birth rates in moms ages 35-39 nearly doubled in the past 30 years due in part to increased use of fertility drugs and IVF