Fun Facts

Human twins are being born in greater numbers than ever before.
Do you have the impression that there are more twins now than there used to be? No? According to a new study published in the journal Human Reproduction, the "twinning rate" has risen by one-third since the 1980s, rising from 9 to 12 twins per 1,000 births. Currently, over 1.6 million twins are born each year around the world, which means one in every 42 births is a twin. The rising use of medically assisted reproduction and the delay in childbearing (twinning has been observed to rise with a mother's age) are both contributing to this trend.