Multiple birth
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Twins, triplets and other multiple births occur with to varying degrees in most animal species, although the term is most applicable to species in placental species. A multiple birth, for human beings, results when more than one human baby is born from a single pregnancy.
There are two types of multiple births, fraternal (dizygotic) and identical (monozygotic). Identical siblings arise where one egg is fertilised and the resulting zygote splits into more than one embryo. Identical siblings therefore have the same genetic material. Fraternal siblings result from the fertilisation and implantation of more than one egg, so fraternal siblings are not genetically identical.
The most common form of human multiple birth is twins (two babies), but the typical order of multiple births in other placental species differs dramatically. Some species give birth to multiple offspring as a matter of course and the resulting group of offspring is called a litter.
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Higher order multiples
High orders of multiple births (three or more offspring in one birth) may result in a combination of fraternal (genetically different) and identical (genetically identical) siblings. The latter are occasionally given the term of super twins. For example, a set of quadruplets may consist of two sets of identical twins. In such a case each child has one identical and two fraternal siblings.
Human multiple births
The most common form of human multiple birth is twins (two babies), but cases of triplets (three), quadruplets (four), quintuplets (five), sextuplets (six), septuplets (seven), and octuplets (eight) have all been recorded with all siblings being born alive. The largest set in which all members survived more than a few days is septuplets, the first of which was in 1997. The largest set to have even a single member survive is octuplets, in 1998 (with the seven surviving octuplets born in Texas). There have been a few sets of nonuplets (nine) in which a few babies were born alive, though none lived longer than a few days. There have been pregnancies — but no known instances of live births — of decaplets (ten), undecaplets (eleven), duodecaplets (twelve), and quindecaplets (fifteen). Most of these are a result of fertility medications, though a set of duodecaplets was conceived spontaneously (without the aid of fertility treatments) in Argentina in 1992.
Causes and frequency
Human multiple births can occur either naturally (the woman ovulates multiple eggs or the fertilized egg splits into two) or as the result of infertility treatments such as IVF (several embryos are usually implanted to compensate for their lower viability) or fertility drugs (which can induce multiple ovulation).
In general, twins occur naturally at approximately the rate of 1/89 of singleton births, triplets at 1/89 the rate of twin births, and so on (Hellin's Law). However, for reasons that are unknown, the older a woman is, the more likely she is to naturally have a multiple birth.
The number of multiple births has increased over the last decades. For example, in Canada, between 1979 and 1999, the number of multiple birth babies increased 35%. Much of the increase can probably attributed to the impact of fertility treatments, such as in vitro fertilisation. Younger patients who undergo treatment with fertility medication containing FSH followed by intrauterine insemination are at particular risk for multiple births of higher order.
Certain factors appear to increase the likelihood that a woman will naturally conceive multiples. These factors include:
- mother's age — women over 35 are more likely to have multiples than younger women
- mother's race — African women have a frequency of 16 fraternal twin pairs per 1,000 births; East Asian women have a frequency of 3 pairs of fraternal twins per 1,000 births; Caucasian women have a frequency of 8 pairs of fraternal twins per 1,000 births
- mother's use of fertility drugs — approximately 35% of pregnancies arising through the use of fertility treatments such as IVF involve more than one child
The increasing use of fertility drugs as well as the increasing life expectancy for women have contributed to the rise in the rate of multiples over the last fifty years.
Risks
Recent increases over the last few years in the number of multiple births have also provoked concern over the risks to the fetus and also to the mother.
The greater the number of babies in a single pregnancy, the more likely they are to have a low birth weight, to be born prematurely and to consequently suffer medical problems. For example, in 1999, 53% of babies in multiple births were premature, compared to 7% of singletons.There is also a higher rate of stillbirths for multiples than for singletons.
Virtually all obstetrical risks are increased for the mother during a pregnancy with multiples. As many multiple pregnancies today are the result of the use of fertility therapy, efforts are being made to reduce the risks of multiple pregnancy, specifically triplets or more, by limiting the number of embryos embryo transfer during IVF to 1 or 2. Sometimes a selective reduction -- the abortion of one or more of the multiple fetuses -- is performed to give the pregnancy a higher chance of producing at least one healthy or live child.
Cultural aspects
Certain cultures consider multiple births a portent of either good or evil. A Korean tradition stating that triplets are 'lucky' has led to the seizure of all sets of triplets born in North Korea, apparently out of leader Kim Jong-il's fear that one may overthrow him in the future.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In Ancient Rome, the legend of the twin brothers who founded the city (Romulus and Remus) made the birth of identical twin boys a blessing, while identical twin girls were seen as an unlucky burden.
List of famous multiple births
- The Keys quadruplets (born on June 4,1915 in Hollis, Oklahoma), were the first same sex quadruplets known to survive to adulthood.
- The Dionne quintuplets (born on May 28, 1934 near Corbeil, Ontario, Canada) were the first quintuplets known to survive their infancy.
- The Rosenkowitz sextuplets (born on January 11, 1974 in Cape Town, South Africa) were the first sextuplets known to survive their infancy.
- The Walton sextuplets (born on November 11, 1983 in Liverpool) were the first sextuplets born in the United Kingdom known to survive their infancy.
- The Frustaci septuplets (born on May 21, 1985) were the first septuplets to be born in the United States. Only three babies survived.
- The Dilley sextuplets (born on May 25, 1993 in Indianapolis) were the first surviving sextuplets to be born in the United States.
- The McCaughey septuplets (born on November 19, 1997 in Des Moines, Iowa) were the world's first surviving set of septuplets.
- The Humair septuplets (born on January 14, 1998 in Abha, Saudi Arabia) were the world's second surviving set of septuplets, born to a 40-year-old mother.
- The Chukwu octuplets (born in December 1998 in Houston) were the first set of octuplets born in the United States. The smallest of the octuplets, Odera, died a week after birth.
- The Qahtani septuplets (born on July 12, 2001 in Washington, DC) were the third set of septuplets to live past infancy.
- The Dahm Sisters were the only Playboy triplet centerfolds.
- The Armstrong triplets - Lil, Helen and Kate, were the first triplets to all be accepted to Cambridge University.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- The Creel Triplets - Leanna, Monica, and Joy born August 27, 1970 starred in Parent Trap 3, and Parent Trap 4: Hawaiian Honeymoon, two Disney made-for-TV movies.
- The Brino quadruplets were born on September 21, 1998 in Woodland Hills, California to Tony and Shawna Brino, and have all appeared in the popular television series 7th Heaven when they were infants as the twin boys born in season 3- when they all started to look different the only girl (Miranda) stopped appearing in the show, and Zachary and Lorenzo starred in the first episode they were credited in. From then on, only Nikolas and Lorenzo Brino starred in the show, and did through the show's last season, season 10.
- The Haden Triplets born in New York City on October 11, 1971 were Petra, Tanya and Rachel.
Fictional multiple births
- In the television series The Simpsons, Apu and Manjula Nahasapeemapetilon had octuplets: Anoop, Uma, Nabendu, Poonam, Pria, Sandeep, Sashi, and Gheet (also known as Lincoln, Freedom, Condoleezza, Coke, Pepsi, Manifest Destiny, Apple Pie, and Superman). They were a result of an overdosage of fertility drugs.
- The record was soon broken by a couple with nonuplets in Shelbyville, the archenemy of Springfield.
- In the television series Quintuplets, there are five children born simultaneously: Parker, Pierce, Patton, Penny, and Paige.
- In the movie Raising Arizona, the plot is largely driven by the protagonists' kidnapping of Nathan Arizona, Jr., one of a set of quintuplets.
- A series story published on-line features the identical Carlson Septuplets.
- Among Disney characters, multiple births seem to be rather common. Donald Duck's nephews, Huey, Dewey and Louie are triplets; and so are Daisy Duck's nieces, April, May and June. Mickey Mouse's nephews, Morty and Ferdie Fieldmouse, are twins, as are Tweedledee and Tweedledum from Disney's Alice in Wonderland based on the Lewis Carroll stories. Even the Beagle Boys have a set of triplet descendants, the Beagle Brats.
- In Friends, Phoebe Buffay gave birth to her brother's triplets.
See also
- Biological reproduction
- List of famous trinities, trios, triplets, or threesomes
- Twins
- Triplets
- Septuplets
- Nonuplets
References
External links
- Articles on multiple births
- Mothers of Supertwins (MOST) - an international support group for families of triplets, quadruplets, quintuplets, or more offering support, information, resources, and much more.
- Ottawa Canada's Multiple Birth Families Association (MBFA)
- Facts About Multiples: an online encyclopedia of multiple births
- Multiple Births Foundation - aiding twins families and professionals caring for multiple birth families.
- - TAMBA - The web site of the only parent organisation in the UK providing information and support to couples who are expecting, or who have had, a multiple birth.
- MultipleBirth.com - A unique resource for research and information about the causes, effects and problems of multifetal pregnancy.
- The Carlson Septupletsde:Mehrlingsgeburt