Pregnancy. Such complications can include uterine bleeding and children not receiving equal nutrients. The overarching purpose of the procedure is not primarily to simply terminate life, but to increase the survival and success of the mother and babies. In very rare cases, there may be conjoined twins, possibly impairing function of internal organs. There's also no for… [39][40], Women with a multiple pregnancy are usually seen more regularly by midwives or doctors than those with singleton pregnancies because of the higher risks of complications. [52] A similar effect occurs in the Knight of the Swan romance, in the Beatrix variants of the Swan-Children; her taunt is punished by giving birth to seven children at once, and her wicked mother-in-law returns her taunt before exposing the children.[53]. [37] Risks of the procedure include bleeding requiring transfusion, rupture of the uterus, retained placenta, infection, a miscarriage, and prelabor rupture of membranes. A multiple pregnancy almost always means increased monitoring and surveillance for complications. [3], Identical triplets or quadruplets are very rare and result when the original fertilized egg splits and then one of the resultant cells splits again (for triplets) or, even more rarely, a further split occurs (for quadruplets). ... including the neonatal and maternal medical team. These eggs are each fertilized by a sperm, and then one or more of these embryo splits. False pregnancy is characterized by the typical pregnancy symptoms including weight gain, growing belly, morning sickness, irritability, and backache; all the … Grand multipara: The term "multipara" applies to any woman who has given birth 2 or more times. used the Swedish Medical Birth Register to look at more than 1.1 million births to people who had single babies at term or post-term during the years 1992 to 2006. These women experience what is called a high-risk pregnancy. The most common are strictly fraternal triplets, which come from a polyzygotic pregnancy of three eggs. In non-humans, the whole group may also be referred to as a litter, and multiple births may be more common than single births. Women older than 30 have a greater chance of multiple conception. Nullipara (no live births), multipara (many live births) Part/o, toc/o. P – Number of preterm pregnancies. Intestinal Atresia. Only as of the twentieth century have more than four all survived infancy. Female reproductive system terms of pregnancy. [17] Reality television shows Jon & Kate Plus 8 and later Kate Plus 8 have chronicled the lives of these sextuplets. These include: The increasing use of fertility drugs and consequent increased rate of multiple births has made the phenomenon of multiples more frequent and hence more visible. In this instance, a woman could have multiple births (such as quadruplets ) with two of the babies being fraternal twins and two being identical. [28], However, there is not enough evidence to say whether or not women with twin pregnancies should be given oral betamimetics to reduce the risk of preterm birth. All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. A baby born during this time is full term. Sometimes a seemingly normal twin pregnancy is later found to have only one baby. Twin pregnancies have a higher risk for prematurity, which means birth that occurs after 20 weeks but before 37 weeks gestation. [56] While some view medically assisted procreation as a saving grace to have children, others consider these procedure to be unnatural and costly to the community. While premature babies are fragile in many other ways, modern methods of intensive care have successfully stabilized babies as small as one pound. Premature birth is greater with each additional fetus. The records for all the triplet pregnancies managed and delivered from 1992 to 1996 were looked over to see what the neonatal statistics were. Recent history has also seen increasing numbers of multiple births. In humans, the average length of pregnancy (two weeks fewer than gestation) is 38 weeks with a single fetus. [26], As recently as 2015, there was no way to stop twins being born early. Other shows of this nature include Table for 12 and Sweet Home Sextuplets. [35], Selective reduction is the practice of reducing the number of fetuses in a multiple pregnancy; it is also called "multifetal reduction". A polar viewpoint advocates for the right of choice, that being the choice to terminate a pregnancy due to desire and/or pregnancy risks. Pregnancy weeks are grouped into three trimesters, each one with medical milestones for both you and the baby.. First trimester. Terms used for the number of offspring in a multiple birth, where a number higher than three ends with the suffix -(a/u)plet: Terms used for multiple births or the genetic relationships of their offspring: Multiple pregnancies are also classified by how the fetuses are surrounded by one or more placentas and amniotic sacs; the placentas are referenced as "chorions":[1]. Legal abortion is a safe procedure. This often means more frequent visits to the healthcare provider, serial ultrasounds to make sure that the babies are growing adequately. Multiples may be monochorionic, sharing the same chorion, with resultant risk of twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome. A multiple pregnancy may be the result of the fertilization of a single egg that then splits to create identical fetuses, or it may be the result of the fertilization of multiple eggs that create fraternal fetuses, or it may be a combination of these factors. So, before dwelling into a detailed discussion about a multiple-pregnancy, … Quintuplets are sometimes referred to as "quins" in the UK[15] and "quints" in North America. is lowest in the womb) is head down there is no good evidence that caesarean section will be safer than a vaginal birth for the mother or babies. A – Number of abortions. 2010 ). If preterm labor is impossible to control at home, the mother may be hospitalized, and medication may be used to attempt to control contractions and dilatation of the cervix. A baby born during this time is full term. When a woman’s water breaks, it is the amniotic fluid that is released in preparation for the baby’s birth. A term most applicable to vertebrate species, multiple births occur in most kinds of mammals, with varying frequencies. Each has a different selection of its parents' genes. [33] Because IVFs are producing more multiples, a number of efforts are being made to reduce the risk of multiple births- specifically triplets or more. Cloning produces identical twins. [32] A woman who has given birth 5 or more times is called a grand multipara. The fallopian tube is the most common site for ectopic pregnancies but they can also occur on the ovary or the peritoneal surface of the abdominal cavity. The theme occurs in other mythologies as well, and is called superfecundation. [3] Nevertheless, only 4 sets of identical triplets were reported in the U.S. during 2015, about one in a million. Multifetal pregnancy reduction is the reduction of one or more embryos from the bearing woman. In regards to multiple births different ethical concerns arise from the use of in vitro fertilization. There are many combinations possible—for example with dichorionic triamniotic triplets, one fetus has a separate placenta and two of the fetuses share a placenta, and each has its own amniotic sac. Most twin or multiple pregnancies are discovered during an ultrasound. Pseudocyesis is the medical term for a false pregnancy or what some people refer to as a phantom pregnancy. A review of good quality research on this subject found that if the twin that will be born first (i.e. Biologists arbitrarily speak of the earliest stages of In a study in 1997 of 2,173 embryo transfers performed as part of in vitro fertilisation (IVF), 34% were successfully delivered pregnancies. The number of multiple births has increased over the last decade. All these children are fraternal; they each arose from a separate egg and a separate sperm. What causes multiple pregnancy? [42] Evidence around this subject is not yet good enough to advise women to do this because the long term effects of the high-calorie diets on the mother are not known. For example, the gravidity and parity of a woman who has given birth at term once and has had one miscarriage at 12 weeks would be recorded as G2 T1 P0 A1 L1. In 1997, the McCaughey septuplets were born in Carlisle, Iowa. More than 3 in 5 twins and nearly all higher-order multiples are premature … Several factors can make a pregnancy high risk, including existing health conditions, the mother’s age, lifestyle, and health issues that happen before or during pregnancy. [43], A study in 2013 involving 106 participating centers in 25 countries came to the conclusion that, in a twin pregnancy of a gestational age between 32 weeks 0 days and 38 weeks 6 days, and the first twin is in cephalic presentation, planned Cesarean section does not significantly decrease or increase the risk of fetal or neonatal death or serious neonatal disability, as compared with planned vaginal delivery. A literary review on multiple pregnancies shows a study done on one set each of septuplets and octuplets, two sets of sextuplets, 8 sets of quintuplets, 17 sets of quadruplets, and 228 sets of triplets. Fertility and Sterility® is an international journal for obstetricians, gynecologists, reproductive endocrinologists, urologists, basic scientists and others who treat and investigate problems of infertility and human reproductive disorders. [50], Certain cultures consider multiple births a portent of either good or evil. Preterm labor and birth. The reasons … There are around 70 sets of all-identical quadruplets worldwide. The human female is designed to release one egg every menstrual cycle. Selective reduction usually occurs for pregnancies assisted by assisted reproductive technology (ART). False pregnancy, clinically termed pseudocyesis, is the belief that you are expecting a baby when you are not really carrying a child. Subsequently, two natural hormones—follicle stimulating hormone and chorionic gonadotrophin—were developed and used. Multiple pregnancy is a pregnancy where more than one fetus develops simultaneously in the womb. The protection of maternal well being versus harm of newly formed fetal life is an extension of the aforementioned ethical question. While there have been cases where an ectopic pregnancy has been brought to term, the conditions by which these occurred were extremely unusual. A multiple pregnancy from a single zygote is called monozygotic, from two zygotes is called dizygotic, or from three or more zygotes is called polyzygotic. In Ancient Rome, the legend of the twin brothers who founded the city (Romulus and Remus) made the birth of twin boys a blessing, while twin girls were seen as an unlucky burden, since both would have to be provided with an expensive dowry at about the same time. Remote from term, PPROM should only be cared for in facilities where a NICU is available and capable of caring for the neonate. Twins occur in about one in every 84 births in Britain, and about one in 300 pregnancies results in identical twins. Early initiation of smoking. Medical and surgical abortions are both safe and effective when performed by trained practitioners. Least common are identical triplets; three fetuses from one egg. A family history of multiple pregnancy raises the chances of having twins. Ectopic pregnancy. If you have a multiply pregnancy, it’s important to commit to taking care of yourself and guarantee your babies’ and your own health. There are two types of twinning—identical and fraternal. Certain factors appear to increase the likelihood that a woman will naturally conceive multiples. 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