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. 1995 Feb;85(2):229-32.
doi: 10.1016/0029-7844(94)00354-g.

Increasing trends in plural births in the United States

S E Jewell  1 , R Yip
Affiliations

Increasing trends in plural births in the United States

S E Jewell et al. Obstet Gynecol. 1995 Feb.

Abstract

Objective: To determine the nature and possible reasons for the increasing trend in plural births in the United States during the 1980s.

Methods: We performed a descriptive analysis of births in the United States for five racial and ethnic groups from 1980-1989, using the United States vital records natality files.

Results: The rates of twin and triplet births rose 19 and 100%, respectively, during the 1980s. Approximately one-fourth of the observed increases can be attributed to rising maternal age. The increases in twin and triplet births occurred mainly among more educated and older white women.

Conclusion: The association of high education status with rising rates of plural births, independent of maternal age, suggests that the observed increase is the result of increasing use of fertility-stimulating therapy among a subset of the childbearing population.

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