Multiple Pregnancies
The incidence of multiple pregnancies is on the rise in recent decades. For example, between 1980 – 2005, the incidence of twins in the USA doubled, while the incidence of triplets increased by 6 times.
Why this increase in the incidence of multiple pregnancies?
- The first reason is that more and more women are planning pregnancy after the age of 30 years. It is known that the probability of having multiple pregnancies is higher than at ages younger than 30 years.
- The other reason is related to artificial reproductive techniques – Artificial Reproductive Techniques – ART (ovulation stimulation, artificial insemination – IUI, and In Vitro Fertilization – IVF). All these techniques carry an increased probability (compared to spontaneous conception) of resulting in multiple pregnancies.
How are twins formed?
Twins are formed in 2 ways:
Identical twins are formed from the same fertilized egg that splits into two. Identical twins are the same and contain the same genetic material. That's why they are also called identical. Most of these twins occur spontaneously.
Non-identical twins occur when 2 separate eggs are fertilized by 2 separate sperm. These twins are not genetically identical – the similarity between them is like that between non-twin brothers/sisters. In some cases, a genetic predisposition to giving birth to twins has been observed. In most cases, these twins result from infertility treatments (ovulation stimulation, artificial insemination – IUI, and In Vitro Fertilization – IVF).
Multiple pregnancies (>2 fetuses) can be identical, non-identical, or a combination of both.
Having a multiple pregnancy ...
In the past, the information that we are dealing with a twin pregnancy was received at the moment of birth… so unexpectedly. Now, on the contrary, due to ultrasound, this information is obtained at the beginning of the pregnancy.
Multiple pregnancy makes the symptoms of pregnancy more intense. Thus, you may experience:
- Rapid weight gain in the first trimester.
- Nausea and vomiting with increased intensity.
- More intense pain / cramps / breast tenderness.
After confirming the fact that we are dealing with more than 1 fetus, you will need more frequent check-ups during pregnancy. This is explained by the fact that multiple pregnancy is more predisposed to complications. Among these complications, we can mention:
- Miscarriage
- Preterm birth.
- Fetal hypotrophy (slower weight gain of the fetus/fetuses) - IUGR.
- Pre-eclampsia
- Gestational diabetes
More frequent check-ups reduce the risk of complications.