Why Are There Twins Everywhere? Study Finds Historic Spike in Multiple Births

Get a load of these guys.
Get a load of these guys.

For the first time in history, childless women under 30 are earning more than men in the same age bracket. At the same time, there are more twins being born in the U.S. than ever before. What do those two facts have to do with each other? Everything.

A new report from the Center of Disease Control and Prevention confirms that the rate of twin births has doubled in the past three decades. As of 2009, one in ever 30 births is a twin.

Increased use of fertility drugs and treatments are getting credit for the multiples movement. Another factor is that more women are waiting until they're over 30 to start a family. In 2008, 14 percent of all births in the U.S. were to women 35 and older. That number continues to rise.

Thanks to evolution's mad genius, women in their third decade are biologically more likely to knock out two kids at the same time. In a strange way it's as if both our bodies and our collective scientific progress are making up for lost time.

As more women take time to develop careers and put off having children until they're in their thirties and forties, vaguely sexist but fairly rational concerns have arose. Will our population dip now that women aren't having enough babies? Are children going to miss out on the chance to have siblings because women are waiting too darn long?

This new study suggests we're adapting to our new roles in society even more than we realize. It also suggests more Bugaboo two-seater strollers are going to hold up foot traffic.

But with abundance, comes new problems. Carrying multiples can pose a higher risk for both mom and children. Preterm births are almost twice as likely and sharing a womb can lead to unique health hazards for one or both babies. Even after a healthy birth, adjusting to double trouble can be trying. A recent study found that parents of twins suffer more mental health problems than those with one kid. No explanation needed.

But for those twins who grow up with a doppelganger the payoff is huge. No other sibling sets have the same ability to develop their own private language. The phenomenon of twin language is called cryptophasia and it's turned two toddlers into viral video stars. Being a twin is so deeply embedded in a person's DNA, they're more likely to have twins of their own. Other benefits to twin-dom: it's easier to get work on a sitcom and particularly helpful when you need to match-make two adults through a series of identity swapping hijinks. It's also a guarantee on a friend for life.

Consider Lilly Millward and Ena Pugh, the world's oldest twins, who turned 102-years-old this week. They attribute their longevity to each other's lifelong company and shared sense of humor. "We're very lucky," says Lily. With more twins being born, and therefore more people with a genetic propensity to produce twins of their own, the odds of being lucky are getting better everyday.

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