Having Twins

Having twins can be a time of excitement, or a time of mixed emotions. The reaction of parents often depends on one of two factors which include the family's financial standing, and whether they wanted two additional children. Regardless of the initial reaction, couples eventually overcome the shock and lead happy lives with their new babies.

Increased Multiple Births

It has been reported that the number of multiple births has increased in recent years. This includes births involving twins, triplets, and quads. Although the latter two show a dramatic increase, twins occur more often than triplets or quadruplets. Since the year 2000, there have been over 4 million twins born in the United States. This is a 75% increase from twenty years ago. Twins are common, and the chances of having twins are higher than many realize.

Odds of Having Twins

The odds are having twins are approximately 1 in 33. Twins consists of identical twins (same sex), or fraternal twins (boy/girl twins or same sex twins with different appearances). Although twin births are high, the odds of having identical twins are only 1 in 250. Multiple babies are more common in African-Americans. Additionally, women who have already given birth to twins have a greater risk of conceiving another set of twins.

Factors that Contribute to Having Twins

Several factors may contribute to twins. Women who undergo fertility treatments are more likely to have multiple births. However, many women across the globe have twins without the use of drugs, or naturally. This generally occurs in families with a maternal history of twins. Moreover, women age 30 – 39 have an increased risk of having twins. Each pregnancy also increases the risk of a multiple birth. Women without any of the listed risk factors have a less than 3% chance of conceiving twins.