According to a recent study, twin births have almost doubled in a number of developed countries over the course of four decades.
The research, published in the Population and Development Review (which can be found here), shows that the rate of twin births has increased significantly in both the US and a number of countries in Europe including Germany, France and Denmark.
In the US the rate went from 9.5 twins per 1,000 deliveries in 1975 up to 16.9 in 2011. Britain showed a similar jump from 9.9 to 16.1.
Whilst the statistics for Ireland only show a small increase (13.1 per 1,000 in 1975 compared to 15.5 in 2005) in the number of twin births, the evidence overall points to more multiple births in developed countries over the last 40 years.
The authors of the study explain that the two main factors for this increase are delayed childbearing (older women are more likely to have twins) and medically-assisted reproduction such as IVF.
However they also highlighted that multiple births can lead to health risks which are a cause of concern. In fact, they described the increase as “an important public health issue.”
Compared to single babies, the report states that twin babies tend to be more fragile, have a lower birth weight and are more prone to complications as well as premature birth.
To find out what other factors can increase your chances of having twins, click here.
