Number Of Non-IVF/ART Triplets Born In Norway Doubles From 1970 Rates - Reuters

[hatrack]

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - There are about twice as many sets of triplets born in Norway every year compared to 40 years ago -- not including babies conceived with assisted reproductive technology (ART), new research shows.

Once ART babies were added to the mix, the rate of triplet births roughly tripled, Dr. A. Tandberg of Haukeland University Hospital in Bergen and colleagues found.

While the study wasn't designed to investigate the reasons behind the increase in non-ART births, the researchers suggest that a sharp increase in use of the ovulation-stimulating drug clomiphene citrate since the early 1970s was likely a factor.

In countries where ART is widely used, the researchers say, the rate of triplet births climbed slowly beginning in the 1980s, and then started to decline at the beginning of the current century. However, they say, the role of ART in this pattern has not been clear. To investigate, they looked at 2.2 million pregnancies in Norway between 1967 and 2006, including 448 triplet sets and 27,575 twin pairs. After 1988, when ART was introduced, the country introduced a separate registry for artificially conceived births.

EDIT

http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2010/04/01/eline/links/20100401elin021.html

[Quantess]

1. Multiple births beyond twins are not good news, not cute, and not good for the babies.

The risk of birth defects, learning disabilities, etc, rises exponentially beyond twins. Not to mention there's nearly a guarantee of low birth weight.

[OKIsItJustMe]

2. Yes

I wonder how much this reflects better prenatal, perinatal and neonatal care...