Many people will feel that there seem to be more and more twins around us!
This is not an illusion, the global twin birth rate is constantly climbing.
Around 1.6 million pairs of twins are born worldwide each year, meaning that one in every 42 new births is a twin. Since the 1980s, the proportion has increased from 9 pairs of twins per 1,000 births to 12 pairs.
Image source: Visual China
Why is this happening?
The study published by experts from the University of Oxford in the journal Human Reproduction concluded that the number of twin births is increasing, and one of the main reasons is the increase in the use of medically assisted reproduction. And the probability of having twins increases as the mother ages.
Assisted reproductive technology, also known as "IVF", refers to the use of artificial methods to fertilize egg cells and sperm in vitro, and early embryonic development, and then transfer to the mother's womb to develop and develop the baby.
The paradoxical spikes in recent years, and the potential for record highs, are ultimately related to the following factors that scientists believe are related.
First, the use of assisted reproductive technology mainly refers to IVF. In the early years, in order to ensure a success rate, the fertility center would transfer two or even three embryos to the uterus to ensure at least one chance of survival. In this way, the odds of twins or even triplets are greatly increased.
The second is the use of follicle-stimulating hormones such as those. Some women take hormones to induce the ovaries to release multiple mature eggs at the same time.
Third, the reproductive age is delayed. Late marriage and late childbearing have gradually become a habit, resulting in a general increase in the reproductive age of women, while the probability of multiple births in elderly women can be multiplied. A new international collaboration involving researchers from australian universities suggests that women are more likely to conceive fraternal twins in their 30s, the result of an evolutionary response to combat declining embryonic viability.
Twins and multiples are sometimes not a good thing, don't force it!
Multiple pregnancies increase the "likelihood" and "severity" of complications. In fact, for each additional fetus, the risk value and severity increase accordingly.
Giving birth to twins is a happy event in the eyes of ordinary people, but it is not so easy in the eyes of doctors. Fertility experts say that pregnant women who are pregnant with twins are more likely to have complications such as gestational diabetes, gestational hypertension, anemia, and postpartum hemorrhage. Moreover, pregnant women with multiple pregnancies bear several times more pain and risk than the average pregnant woman.
Moreover, multiple pregnancies belong to the category of high-risk pregnancies, and for the fetus, the risk of miscarriage, premature birth, fetal malformations, and death during growth is multiplied.
Therefore, the relevant regulatory authorities began to pay attention to the safety of twins and introduced some measures.
Such as limiting the number of embryos. According to the Ministry of Health's "Code of Human Assisted Reproductive Technology", the total number of embryos transferred per cycle shall not exceed 3, and the number of embryos transferred in the first fertility cycle of women under 35 years of age shall not exceed 2.
Fetal reduction is also a post-multiple pregnancy remedy and an intervention to protect the safety of the mother and fetus.
Although conceiving twins is a happy thing, but ivy baby twins have very high requirements for the woman's physical fitness, in the analysis of the female patient's physical condition, fertility function, uterine environment, etc. are not enough to support the burden of the twins, it will be required to undergo fetal reduction surgery, so as to avoid unnecessary risks.
The time of IVF reduction surgery is appropriate at 8-10 weeks of pregnancy, when the embryo is relatively small, the operation is easy to succeed, and the embryo necrotic tissue is less, the placenta is easily absorbed, and the impact on other embryos and the mother is small, especially the miscarriage caused by pregnancy reduction of more than 4 pregnancies can be reduced.
Doctors pointed out that the purpose of IVF technology fertility treatment is to allow infertile patients to have a healthy baby born, and try to avoid twin or triple pregnancy delivery. Whether it is artificial conception or natural conception, regular pregnancy check-ups should be carried out to detect possible multiple births early to ensure the healthy development of the fetus and the safety of the mother's pregnancy.
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