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THERE WAS A 36% increase in the birth of twins in Ireland between 2004 and 2013.
Figures from the HSE show that in 2013, there were 2,526 twin births, compared to just 1,849 in 2004.
Every year the number of twin births has risen.
The number of triplet births has also risen from 54 in 2004 to 87 in 2013. This accounts for a 61.1% increase over the decade.
So, why the big increase?
Speaking to TheJournal.ie, Medical Director at Beacon CARE Fertility Dr Ahmed Omar said the number of twin births is not only rising here, but worldwide.
Assisted reproductive therapies is the main contributory factor pushing multiple births up, said Dr Omar, but studies have shown that twin births in natural pregnancies are also on the rise, mainly due to the increase in the maternal age that women are conceiving.
What’s the likelihood of having twins?
Dr Omar said that in a natural conception the chances of having twins is 1 in 80. However, with In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) the chance of conceiving twins is 1 in 5.
“One baby at birth is preferable,” said Dr Omar, who said that couples might disagree with this.
The reason why there are generally more multiple births is because embryo success was low, so more than one embryo was transferred, sometimes four or five,” he explained.
He said that this doesn’t have to be the case nowadays.
The success rate has improved dramatically. There have been huge advances in technology and embryo selection, which means the need to transfer more than one embryo has decreased.
The selection process has changed significantly – we now have the ability to incubate embryos and pinpoint embryos with an increased chance of reaching a live birth. Confidence in using single embryo transfers has also increased.
Dr Omar said it is now the role of medical professionals to educate patients that multiple embryo transfers are not always necessary, as while success with IVF treatment in the past was low, studies show there can be a 70% success rate with a single embryo transfer.
He said that couples are under huge pressure to succeed and there are costs to consider too.
However, he said it is important to educate people about the risks also.
The need to transfer multiple embryos has lessened, but we also have to think about the cost to society of twin births – whereby mothers are admitted to hospital weeks before the birth, and babies are spending weeks in ICU due to a low birth weight.The long term effects on the child throughout its life due to premature births also needs to be considered.
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“Dr Omar said it’s medical professionals role now to educate patients that multiple embryo transfers is not always necessary, as while success with IVF treatment in the past was low, studies show there can be a 70% success rate with a single embryo transfer.”
That 70% success rate is a remarkable claim. I’m interested to know in which specific circumstances that could possibly be the case. People considering IVF should be advised that the probability of success (as in a live birth) from a single IVF cycle is _FAR_ lower than 70%. Even assuming you’ve reached the point of an embryo transfer, 70% still sounds unbelievably high.
They explain the 70% statistic in the home page of their website (http://www.beaconcarefertility.ie)
70% clinical pregnancy rate for patients under 35. Over 35, the rate drops (which I would guess is where most of their patients come from). I also assume it’s an average over all types of assisted reproduction provided by the clinic, and doesn’t necessarily apply to any given procedure type.
Clinical pregnancy means a positive pregnancy test, not a live birth. In fairness, it would be unfair to rate them in live births since the point of IVF et al is to counter difficulties with conception, not pregnancy. Pregnancy and birth is a whole different ball game that is unrelated to how one conceived.
That last paragraph is bullshit! Expectant twin mothers admitted to hospital weeks before birth and twins spending weeks in NICU? It’s said like it’s always the case! My twin boys are 2 this week, I was admitted the night before the planned c section at over 38 weeks and they never needed NICU. Most twin births that I know of are as uncomplicated or even less complicated as mine thankfully.
Congrats Nicola.
People are having babies later in life. The chances of having twins increase with age as women start to release more than one egg per cycle to increase chances of reproducing.
THE JOURNAL IS DELIBERATELY IGNORING THIS STORY! “Asylum” applications have doubled on last year in just six months. Eight Ethiopians claimed asylum upon arrival in Ireland on board Ethiopian Airlines INAUGURAL flight!!
Dennis o brien
It doesn’t suit their Left wing open borders agenda E. O’Leary, plus their best bud Chuck Feeney spends lots of money on pro asylum/immigrant quangos to make sure the clickbait media toe the multicult line.
The horse has well and truly bolted, the only thing that will save us is a government with a backbone and mass deportations
If the Journal is so left wing, I don’t get why so many right wingers read it so religiously. It seems like a form of masochism.
It’s like if city folk were bombarding the comments section of The Farmers Journal complaining about their rural agenda and the lack of articles on inner city issues.
The Journal – left wing!!??!! HAHA HAHA HAAAAAAA, dat’s a good one
E.O’Leary
At least your consistent with your hate towards Women, LGBT community & Refugee/Asylum.
Do you attend Mass every Sunday, fill that Trocaire Box to the top?
I would guess that it’s due to an increase in fertility treatments, as elsewhere. Has that cleared up the mystery. Journal!
If you actually read the story you would know that they say that but also point out that natural twin births are on the rise also. Anyway, the headline should not be a question about “WHY?” because that’s not what the story is about. The story is mainly about that doctor’s belief that women do not need to have multiple embyros implanted because the procedure has advanced so much that the survival of just one embryo is very probable.
@missyb211. I answered the question posed in the headline. If you have a problem, take it up with the Journal, not with me. PS I read the article
IVF is extremely expensive. I have some friends who unfortunately went through their third cycle unsuccessfully and now have to stop and save again. They are both 32.
I’m a Twin and from a family of 12 kids my mom had all singles up to us…my mother was 36 years old when she had her twins …another 2 sets of twins up to the age of 40.
Exhausting – believe it’s the age reason on multiple births.
Jesus your poor mother!
Irish Super Sperm!
What an insensitive thing to say. I know many twin mothers who had very uncomplicated and straight forward pregnancies and births, me included. Some natural, some assisted conceptions. All this article does is insult twin and multiple mums as well as put added pressure on those considering IVF. There is one reason this doctor is trying to discourage more than one egg being implanted during IVF. Most families nowadays usually stop at 2/3 children. If there is a high chance of twins or then a couple are less likely to get help a second time. It means less money coming in to fertility surgeries. When I was in hospital after having my babies, every other mother in my ward were c-sections, and several ended up in the SBCU, I was the only twin mum there.
The little guy/gal in the top pic, on the left!! Is his ear like that from being squished up against his brother/sister for 9mths???
Hi Mary Carey ,one of my children were born with her ear like that ,she was low birth weight and when she put on weight it filled out and is normal now.
Well now Mary, you got your answer from the mouth of a parent.
Next time you post you might think
Thank you above parent! It wasn’t a pi$$-taking remark – it was a genuine curiosity! Not a mockery!
So Jenni take ur righteousness and shove it!!
My baby was 9lb full term natural birth and had an ear like that for a few days. It’s just from how they lie in the womb.
IVF/IMF!
Contrast the lengths people will go to to conceive a child with the lengths people may go to abort a conceived child. The contrast between a wanted pregnancy and an unwanted pregnancy.
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