Increasing trends in plural births in the United States.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the nature and possible reasons for the increasing trend in plural births in the United States during the 1980s.


METHODS
We performed a descriptive analysis of births in the United States for five racial and ethnic groups from 1980-1989, using the United States vital records natality files.


RESULTS
The rates of twin and triplet births rose 19 and 100%, respectively, during the 1980s. Approximately one-fourth of the observed increases can be attributed to rising maternal age. The increases in twin and triplet births occurred mainly among more educated and older white women.


CONCLUSIONS
The association of high education status with rising rates of plural births, independent of maternal age, suggests that the observed increase is the result of increasing use of fertility-stimulating therapy among a subset of the childbearing population.
Jewell
S E
SE
Division of Nutrition, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia.
Yip
R
R
D000328:Adult; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008423:Maternal Age; D011247:Pregnancy; D011272:Pregnancy, Multiple / Q000208:ethnology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D044469:Racial Groups; D014310:Triplets; D014427:Twins; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology