Pregnancy Twins and Multiples
The term multiple births simply means more than one fetus during a single pregnancy and is caused by race, heredity, number of previous pregnancies, delayed childbirth and infertility treatments. Older women are always more susceptible to conceive multiples regardless if infertility treatment is used to accomplish the goal, however all woman are capable of conceiving multiple babies in one try. Most multiple births involve risks and complications that can affect babies and mother and should be closely monitored by a physician/doctor. Women who have had other babies, have recently discontinued birth control, or have a higher body mass index (BMI) are more likely to have a multiple pregnancy.
Identical vs. Fraternal
Monozygotic (identical) and Dizygotic (fraternal) pregnancies occur most commonly during infertility treatments. Identical fetuses come from a single egg and are genetically identical (features, gender and DNA). Only 3-4 out of every 1,000 pregnancies are identical twins and things like race, heredity and age DO NOT influence this random event. Fraternal fetuses occur when multiple eggs are fertilized by different sperm. They can be the same gender or different and usually they don’t look alike. Even though they were carried during the same pregnancy, they are no more genetically similar than normal siblings.
Higher Order Multiples
Higher order multiples include sets of triplets, quadruplets, quintuplets, etc. Variations of identical and fraternal multiples can and will occur. It’s not uncommon for a set of triplets to include one of them fraternal while the other two are identical, or vice-versa.
Signs and Symptoms
Women who think they might be pregnant with more than one fetus will experience rapid weight increases during the first trimester. During an ultrasound the doctor may notice the uterus is much larger than expected, this is a good sign of at least twins being present. Higher HCG levels and more intense or severe pregnancy symptoms like nausea, vomiting and breast tenderness are all signals there is more than one fetus.
Complications
These pregnancies tend to last 35-37 weeks instead of the normal 40 week gestation period, which could be the cause of many problems along the way. Doctors may increase number of appointments during the pregnancy to determine if everything is either okay or to see if problems occur. Preterm labor, PIH (pregnancy induced hypertension), fetal well-being, fetal demise loss, low birth weight and Preclampsia are all complications mother and babies can go through before and after birth.
