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Double pleasure: why are twins born more often? Multiple pregnancy statistics Twins are often born

Birth of twins is a fairly common phenomenon. For many centuries, scientists have been struggling with the question of why the birth of twins in a particular woman depends, but it has not been possible to find an unambiguous answer to this question, although most of them associate this with genetic predispositions, and also, oddly enough, with the age of the mother.

According to some reports, age is an equally important criterion affecting the birth of twins, triplets, etc. Statistics confirm that the largest number of twin births was observed in mothers aged 37-38 years, and after this age, the number of multiple births was greatly reduced. Of course, statistics do not take into account such a phenomenon as multiple pregnancies as a result of IVF.

According to some scientists, the frequency of birth of twins and twins depends to some extent on the place of residence of their parents... In countries with a temperate climate, the frequency is slightly higher than in countries with a hot climate, according to a group of specialist scientists.

In 1895, the French biologist D. Ellin formulated regularity in the birth of twins, according to which there is one twins per 85 ordinary births, one triplets per 85 twins, 4 twins per 85 triplets, etc. Simply put, there are twins in 85 births, triplets in almost 7,000 births, a quadruple in 680,000 births, and one gear (and this happens!) In 4,712,000,000 births.

Multiple births statistics

In Austria, a certain Mrs. Scheinberg gave birth 27 times, gave birth to 69 babies, and 4 times she gave birth to 4 children, 7 times to 3 and 16 times to 2.

Another Austrian in 11 births gave birth to 3 twins, 6 triplets and 2 quadruples.

For many years in Russia, in one of the clinics, a lady was under the supervision of doctors who gave birth to 6 twins, 7 triplets and 4 quadruples (total: 49 children).

In 1755, a peasant from the village of Vvedensky Yakov Kirillov, 60 years old, was introduced to the court of Empress Elizabeth. He was married a second time, his first wife gave birth to 57 living children in 21 pregnancies, the second gave birth to 15 children in 7 pregnancies, and from two wives Kirillov had 72 children.

José Pulido, a Spanish shepherd from the province of Cordoba, was awarded the Father of the Year award at the age of 107. His three wives bore him 36 children: the first thirteen, the second eleven, and the third twelve.

In the late 70s of the last century, according to Muslim customs, the Sudanese Bishara Mohammed el Shayeb married four women. All four spouses bore him two sons.

The scientific literature indicates that by the end of the Second World War, a little more than 6 cases of the birth of 6 twins were known. However, in 1965, six twins were born in Humant, Brazil. In Faridipur District (Pakistan) in 1967, a young woman gave birth to six boys. In 1974, Suzanne Roznkowitz (25 years old) from the town of Kopstadt (Germany) gave birth to 3 girls and 3 boys at a time. In 1983, a woman from Blankenberg (Belgium) gave birth to six babies (5 boys and one girl).

But six children at a time is not the limit. In the German city of Chamelon, there is a bas-relief with the signature: "When the year 1600 came, on January 9 in the morning, she gave birth to two boys and five girls." Although, apart from the bas-relief, there is no documentary confirmation of this fact.

But at the beginning of the 20th century, 6 cases of the birth of 7 twins were already officially registered. Medicine claims that there are known cases of birth and eight twins, but this is already hard to believe.

In the same way, I do not believe in the birth of a larger number of children, but so far the only reliable case of the birth of nine children is known, of which two were born dead. On June 13, 1971, 19-year-old Geraldine Broderick gave birth to 9 at the Royal Hospital in Sydney.

According to various estimates, today there are 70 to 80 million pairs of twins in the world.

The number of twins born in relation to the total number of newborns in different countries and on different continents is different, but in general, the trend is such that it continues to grow. Compared to the 60s, the percentage of births of twins increased from 1.18 to 2.78, that is, almost 2.5 times. Much has been said about the reasons for this phenomenon, and among the main reasons are the successes of modern medicine in the treatment of infertility.

In the early 80s, there were one twins for every 80-90 births
In the late 90s, there were one twins for every 40-45 births

In the early 1980s, there were one triplet for every 6400 births.
In the late 90s, there was one triplet for every 800-1300 births

How often twins are born to representatives of different countries and peoples

European1 for every 69 births Black American1 for every 60 birthsJapanese1 for every 150 birthsChinese women1 for every 250 births Other Asian women1 for every 125 births Women in Nigeria1 for every 22 births Women in Norway, Denmark and the Netherlands1 for every 49 birthsEnglish women1 for every 76 births

In the United States, for every 100 people in the population, there is 1 pair of non-identical twins,
and for every 300 people - 1 pair of identical twins.

One-third of all twins born in the United States are identical. In Japan, the proportion of identical twins is 2/3 of all twins.

Hellin's law

According to the pattern deduced by American scientists, the frequency of birth of twins before the widespread use of new methods of treating infertility was as follows:

Twins 1 in 90 Triples 1 in 8 100 Quarters 1 in 729 000 Fives 1 in 65 610 000

More than one pair?

If you already have non-identical twins, the chances of getting a second pair are doubled. This is due to the fact that the body of a woman who once conceived dizygotic (non-identical) twins without the use of medication is capable of producing several eggs during ovulation.

If you are a twin (or you have twins in previous generations)

Dear women! According to many studies, "twinning" can be inherited (maternal). So, -
If you are a non-identical twin, you have about 6 out of 100 chances of having twins.
If you are an identical twin, you have exactly the same chances as any other woman (from 1 to 2.5 chances out of 100, depending on the use of hormonal drugs).
If your mother is a non-identical twin, your chances are above average.
If your father is a non-identical twin, then the chances are average, just like if your husband is a twin or has twins in the pedigree.
If any of your parents are identical twins, this will not affect your chances in any way.

More about trends

As the average age of women in childbirth continues to increase (especially in developed countries), the likelihood of having more twins is also increasing. In 1990, 39 women aged 45-49 in the United States became mothers of twins. In 1997, there were already 444 of them.From 1980 to 1996, not a single woman 50-54 years old gave birth to twins. In 1997, 50 women of this age gave birth to twins, and 13 - triplets.

But the main reason for the increase in the frequency of twin births continues to be the development of methods of treating infertility. Modern research shows that 80% of triplets are born from these methods.

The flip side of increasing twin births is the increased frequency of underweight babies and premature births, which, in turn, lead to increased infant mortality rates. From the point of view of statistics, the risk of premature birth and birth of children too low weight (up to 1500) in the case of twins is 8 times higher, and with triplets 33 times higher than in the case of the birth of one child. In 1998, 41.7% of twins and 89.1% of triplets were born prematurely or with very low birth weight.

Do you know that…

- The usual duration of pregnancy is 39-40 weeks, in the case of twins 36 weeks, with triplets 33-34 weeks, with quadruples 30 weeks, with five 28-29 weeks.

- 18-22% of twins are left-handed (for non-twins this percentage is 10).

- Identical twins have similar encephalograms.

- The science of twins is gemellology.

- Often twins talk to each other in a language that is not understandable to those around them. This phenomenon is called cryptophasia.

The statistics collected by demographers over the past decades are unambiguous: more and more twins, triplets and even more weighty "gifts" of the stork are born on our planet. So, over the past twenty years, the birth rate of twins has increased almost 2.5 times, and today over 75 million twins are walking on Earth! Scientists wondered: what, in fact, is the reason for this pattern?

It has already been noted that in some regions the number of such children is abnormally large, in others twins are almost never born. For example, in Japan or Greece it is rare to find a young mother with a double stroller. But in the American city of Lake Elsinore, in total, there are more than 130 pairs of twins - adults and children. There are more than 150 of them in the Siberian town of Myski. But even this will seem to you if you dare to go from the airport In Delhi on an old corn plant to the small Indian village of Kodinhi (Kerela state). Despite the fact that in India usually the number of multiple pregnancies is small (4 out of 1000), more than 300 pairs of twins and twins (and more) live here - every year 15-20 more are added to them (this figure is 6 times higher than the demographic norms).

Approximately every tenth inhabitant of the village has its own "clone" - or even more than one! Moreover, according to local physician Krishnan Shribiya, all the twins are completely healthy and do not have any congenital anomalies. Desperate tourists jokingly complain that they have double or even triple vision, and do not stop clicking the camera. But the natives themselves take what is happening for granted - for already for three generations (the last 60-70 years) they have confused parents with their brothers and sisters, and having created a family, they hardly distinguish their own children.

German researchers in the field of occupational and environmental medicine analyzed the data on the territories, especially inhabited by twins, and found out that in most cases the ecology of these places left much to be desired, since there were either metallurgical plants and other heavy industry enterprises or radioactive uranium mines nearby. ores, or enterprises for the processing of toxic waste and incineration plants. And vice versa - according to archival records, indolence is often observed in women from ecologically safe areas. One way or another, but the formula turned out to be mysterious: the worse, the more chances for the birth of twins, therefore, their birth rate can serve as a bio-indicator of the ecological state of the region.

Scientists have put forward the assumption that the clue lies in the defense mechanisms of the human body: feeling the influence of toxic substances that regularly enter the blood from the atmosphere, the reproductive function is rebuilt into a more active state, and therefore uses more eggs, as a result of which twins are increasingly born ... Scientists also associate the increase in the number of multiple births with the use of the drug clomiphene citrate, which stimulates ovulation - it has become widespread in the European market since the beginning of the 70s of the last century.

The researchers also emphasize that there are many other prerequisites for the birth of twins. For example, artificial pregnancy often leads to the appearance of several children - this is due to the fact that not one, but several embryos are implanted into the uterus "just in case", and identical twins are often born. Skin color also matters - since the northern peoples are 25 times less likely to have twins than the inhabitants of the equatorial regions. Heredity also plays an important role: if there have been cases of the birth of such babies in a family, then the ability to repeat this feat is usually passed on through a generation. That is, the grandchildren of current twins will be able to acquire twins, but identical twins already have a full 6 out of 100 chances of becoming parents of their own kind. Also, the birth rate of several children at the same time is affected by the age of the mother: from 30 to 34 years, twins most often "happen", and from 35 to 39 there is every chance of babysitting triplets.

Many married couples try. Some want a child to grow up with a brother or sister of the same age. Others just want to start a big family right away. Despite the fact that twins are rarely born, there are certain factors that can significantly increase the likelihood of having two babies at the same time.

What determines the birth of twins? Factors such as lifestyle, genetic predisposition and even ethnicity of partners come out on top here. If a married couple is determined to have twins, the following information may be helpful.

What are twins?

The birth of twins is due to the type of fertilization of the mother's egg. The most common are dizygotic and In the first case, the embryos appear from two different eggs with simultaneous fertilization. Children conceived in this way usually have both external and gender differences.

As for monozygotic twins, their conception occurs as a result of the splitting of one fertilized egg into two equal parts. The development of a monozygous fetus is always characterized by the birth of children of the same sex with an identical set of genetic traits, one blood group and almost one hundred percent external similarity.

Reasons for giving birth to twins

The main reason for the development of two embryos at once with the natural method of conception is the abundance of healthy, highly active sperm in a man and the presence of an egg ready for fertilization. The effect is enhanced by unquestioning adherence to the recommendations of a specialist, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, as well as a predisposition to conceiving several babies in one or both partners.

Other reasons for the birth of twins are the consumption of foods or drugs, the constituent elements of which cause hyperovulation. However, doctors rarely recommend this kind of drugs in order to avoid the appearance of various complications during pregnancy, although they are quite effective.

Genetic predisposition

An increased likelihood of the birth of several babies at the same time is in families in which similar cases were recorded on the maternal side. So, if a woman's mother or grandmother gave birth to twins, she has an increased chance of giving birth to twins too.

However, it is not so simple. In this case, the combination of both partners is of great importance. More often, heredity in terms of the birth of twins manifests itself after one generation. But even with the combination of the above circumstances, the chance of a successful outcome of conceiving twins is no more than fifty percent.

With a weak heredity or insufficient strength of the partners' sex hormones, the likelihood of having twins or twins varies from five to fifteen percent.

Factors contributing to the birth of two or more babies at once

As statistics show, the chances of having twins or twins in a healthy woman without a genetic predisposition are only about three percent. In general, there are a number of factors, the presence of which increases the likelihood of two or more babies being born at the same time.

The likelihood of having twins increases if:

  • there have already been cases of the birth of twins or twins in the maternal line;
  • the woman has African roots (Europeans are in second place in terms of the likelihood of having twins, followed by Asians and Hispanics);
  • the woman has already had successful pregnancies (this trend is associated with an increase in the capabilities of the human body);
  • the woman is tall, leads a healthy lifestyle, eats well, or is somewhat overweight.

Nutrition and vitamins

In families in which partners lead an unhealthy lifestyle, eat poorly and neglect the consumption of food rich in vitamins and minerals, the likelihood of having twins is significantly reduced.

When conceiving a child and directly during its gestation, any vitamin complexes are useful. However, as practice shows, the birth of twins becomes more likely with the active intake of supplements with a high content of folic acid in food, which today can be purchased at almost any pharmacy.

Good, nutritious food, rich in fresh, organic products, not only entails the birth of a healthy child, but also increases the chance of having twins. Underweight people are much less likely to have such chances.

If we talk about complete, good nutrition, then it should provide an even weight gain without harming your health and your own well-being. Naturally, trying to increase the likelihood of having twins by any means, it is better to consult in advance at a reputable clinic. After all, only the application of the knowledge of a trained, experienced and practicing doctor makes it possible to hope for a positive result.

What is the likelihood of having twins if you seek the help of a specialist?

Seeing an experienced professional can increase your chances of conceiving twins. In modern medical practice, there are enough professional doctors who are able to help give birth to twins to almost any couple.

Currently, the issues of conceiving twins are most often solved by using the method of in vitro fertilization. Conceiving children in this way can be expensive for a young couple. However, artificially introducing several healthy spermatozoa into the mother's egg at the same time significantly increases the likelihood of achieving the desired goal.

Finally

What determines the birth of twins? This issue is still not fully understood and remains shrouded in mystery. However, it is certainly known that the increased likelihood of conceiving two or more babies is transmitted through the generation.

It is worth noting that there are a sufficient number of families in which there are cases of conceiving several twins, twins and even triplets. There are also families where grandparents, cousins, nephews and nieces are twins or twins. Therefore, nature knows the answer to this question best of all. All the best!

Many parents are engaged today. And some of them dream of twins. Is it possible to schedule the birth of twins?

Statistics

Over the past decade, the number of twins born has almost doubled. In European countries, including the Russian Federation, in the 80-90s, there were 1 twin births for every 80-90 births. Today, every 40-50th birth ends with the birth of twins. However, these are not the highest rates either. For example, in Nigeria, every 22 childbirth ends with the birth of two children. But Chinese women very rarely can be content with the birth of twins, there are only one for 250 births.

How twins turn out

information Twins are born from a pregnancy resulting from the fertilization of two eggs that matured during one ovulatory cycle. They will have a different set of genes and may be of different sexes.

The conditions under which 2 eggs can be produced at once are as follows:

  1. Hereditary factor. Scientists confirm the fact that there are genes responsible for the development of multiple pregnancies. Therefore, if in your family there are cases of the birth of twins, then we can hope that you will be lucky to experience the happiness of double motherhood at the same time. Moreover, if this happened on the maternal side, then the probability is higher.
  2. Multiple spontaneous ovulation. Usually in a woman's ovaries, one egg matures every month, while there are two ovaries and they work alternately. Under the influence of various factors, maturation of several eggs at once in one or both ovaries can occur.
  3. Late pregnancy. It is believed that a woman over 35 years of age has a slightly higher chance of multiple spontaneous ovulation, which means that the chance of getting pregnant with twins also increases. This is due to the age-related changes in the hormonal background.
  4. Contraception. It is noted that the chances of becoming pregnant with twins after the abolition of combined oral contraceptives (COCs) increases. This is due to the so-called "rebound effect". After a long rest, the ovaries begin to work so efficiently that they can produce several viable eggs.
  5. Infertility treatment... More and more infertile couples are being helped by doctors to become parents. One way to increase your chances of pregnancy is through stimulation. The drugs prescribed for this often lead to the simultaneous formation and maturation of more than one egg in the ovaries.
  6. . During the in vitro fertilization procedure, two or more embryos are inserted into the uterus. Sometimes only one takes root, but often there is a larger number.
  7. Malformations of the uterus. Full or partial doubling of the uterus increases the chances of getting pregnant with twins.

The literature describes cases of the so-called overconception (the interval between the fertilization of two eggs in this case is more than one menstrual cycle, as a result of which there are two fetuses in the uterus with different gestational periods) and overfertilization (when fertilization occurs during one ovulatory cycle, but as a result not one intercourse, but different).

So, some media outlets confirmed this fact with stories that one woman gave birth to a baby, and another month later. There was also information about cases in which a woman gave birth to a black and white child from the same pregnancy.

When can you find out about the conception of twins

For the first time, the fact of multiple pregnancy can be established at the first visit to the gynecologist (the size of the uterus will be larger than the estimated gestational age). But an ultrasound study carried out at 5-6 weeks of pregnancy (detection of two embryos in the uterine cavity) helps to answer this question more reliably.

important Also, in the early stages of pregnancy, women carrying twins experience more pronounced toxicosis (nausea, vomiting).