Double trouble for parents as twins birth rate is soaring

THE number of twins being born has soared over the past 25 years as women put off having children because of their careers and later use IVF, new figures reveal.

The rate of twins born was 19 per 1,000 pregnancies two years ago – almost double the 11.7 rate in 1991, according to the Central Statistics Office.

As well as 1,189 sets of twins, there were 24 sets of triplets and two sets of quadruplets.

The average age of first time mothers has risen to 32 and eight months, while the number of teenage mothers has more than halved in just 10 years from 2,335 in 2006 to 1,101 in 2016.

But as age of first-time mothers increases, so does the demand for IVF treatment – fertilisation outside the womb – to help them conceive. IVF treatment also increases the chances of twins as more than one fertilised embryo is implanted to increase the chance of a successful pregnancy.

IVF specialist Dr John Kennedy, of the Sims clinic, said the link between women delaying their first child and the need for IVF, which raises the likelihood of twins, was ‘absolutely true’.

Dr Kennedy said there was a rise in the use of IVF between 1991 and 2016, and that ‘an awful lot of that IVF would have been associated with a high twinning-rate’.

But he believes the number of twins will start to drop as IVF techniques improve and doctors feel less need to implant multiple embryos to increase the chances of a successful pregnancy. He added: ‘The age that women are conceiving for the first time, that seems to have plateaued’ at the early 30s.

‘It’s certainly a lot older than it used to be but there’s really obvious reasons, educational reasons, career reasons and finding the right person,’ he said.

The twin boom has brought double the joy to Irish celebrities.

Dublin Gaelic football star, Bernard Brogan, and his wife, Keira Doyle, welcomed twins in July. ‘Never have I felt as blessed. Thank you to my beautiful wife. Welcome Donagh & Keadán Brogan 10/7/2018,’ he tweeted after the birth.

Rugby star Seán Cronin’s twins were included in the CSO report, as they were born in 2016.

His wife, Limerick camogie player Claire Mulcahy give birth around Christmas of that year, 18 months after their Co. Limerick wedding.

Infamous Peru Two drugs prisoner, Michaela McCollum, gave birth to twin boys Raphael and Rio in May.

Last year, consultant obstetrician Keelin O’Donoghue of Cork University Maternity Hospital, said that the number of twins is onthe rise because of fertility treatment. She estimated that one in 80 pregnancies is a natural twin pregnancy but said 25% to 30% of twins come through some degree of fertility treatment.