Twin birth rate in the United States had reached its peak. In 2014, a total of 33.9 twins was born for every 1,000 births. It was said that this increasing birth rate is due to the technology the world is embracing right now; especially that fertility treatments and assisted reproductive technology (ART) such as in-vitro fertilization (IVF) are at hand.
An increase of 76 percent of twin birth rate from 1980-2009 is believed to be caused by older women using fertility pills that increased the possibility of multiple gestations as posted in Reuters. Fertility pills are used by women who have difficulty conceiving a child.
Clomiphene that stimulates hormones in your brain that can trigger the development of an egg and the Gonadotropins that stimulate ovaries to produce eggs are some of the common fertility pills. The medication has a risk of having multiple gestation, miscarriage, and preterm labor. Women who take Clomiphene has 10 percent chance of having twins while those women who take Gonadotropins has 30 percent chance.
These pills were commonly paired with assisted reproductive technology and intrauterine insemination such as in vitro fertilization. In vitro fertilization is one of the most effective ART. According to Mayo Clinic, during an IVF, a mature egg is harvested from a woman's ovaries and is fertilized by a sperm cell in a dish in the laboratory.
After fertilization, the egg is then implanted in the woman's uterus. The whole process may take about two weeks. Though this process may seem too easy, it has a lot of factors to be considered. It is very time- consuming, invasive and expensive.
Prematurity or low birth weights during delivery are some of the risks in IVF. Multiple gestations can be possible if more than one embryo is implanted in a woman's uterus. A total record of 150,000 women already underwent IVF cycles over a seven-year period.
