Townsville Twin Club

Multiple Facts

A Collection of Facts and Statistics for Multiple Birth Children

Did you know ???

1. The number of multiple births in Australia has increased consistently since the 1970s.(ABS data)
   
   
2. In 2010, 4,527 women gave birth to multiples; of these 65 were triplets and 4 were quads or higher order multiples. This was 43% higher than the number recorded in 1990 and 2% higher than in 2009.(ABS data)
   
   
3. In Queensland in 2010 there were 1,002 multiple births (1.5% of the total births); of these there were 988 sets of twins and 14 sets of triplets or higher order multiples.(ABS data)
   
   
4. Of the multiple births in Australia, 22% occurred in Queensland (2010 statistics).(ABS data)
   
   
5. Multiple births of 3 or more are called Higher Order Multiples (HOMs)?
   
   
6. Two babies sharing a womb simultaneously are known as twins, 3 at once are known as triplets, 4 at once are known as quadruplets, 5 at once are known as quintuplets, 6 are known as sextuplets, 7 are known as septuplets and 8 at once are known as octuplets.
   
   
7. Due to the increased physical demand on a woman carrying more than one baby, all multiple pregnancies are classified as High Risk Pregnancies and require more frequent hospital visits as well as more ultrasounds.
   
   
8. The Centrelink definition of multiple birth includes 3 or more but excludes twins.
   
   
9. The "secret language of twins" is known as idioglossia and is thought to be a mispronunciation of the children's native tongue which the children do not correct because their co-twin is capable of understanding them.
   
   
10. Twins, (both identical and fraternal), play an important role in scientific research into genetics, personality and general development. You can sign up to help with this research by visiting the Australian Twin Registry.
    
    
11. Identical twins are the result of one egg and one sperm and are created when the egg splits after fertilisation. Identicals are always the same gender; ie Boy/Boy or Girl/Girl - identical twins cannot be Boy/Girl pairs.
    
    
12. Fraternal twins are the result of 2 separate eggs and 2 separate sperms and may actually be conceived on separate occasions. Fraternal twins can be any combination of Boy/Girl, Boy/Boy or Girl/Girl.
    
    
13. Triplets can be all identical or a combination of 2 fraternal + 1 identical embryo meaning that it is possible to have triplets that either all look the same or where 2 of the children look the same while the third triplet simply looks similar to his or her siblings.
    
    
14. The incidence of multiple births worldwide is growing, and is thought to be a result of both fertility treatments and an aging population. As women age, they start to release more eggs each month, which results in an increased chance of fraternal twinning.
    
    
15. While fraternal multiples are thought to run in the family, the occurrence of identical multiples has yet to be explained.

Ever wonder about identical twin fingerprints?

Even though identicals share the same DNA, their fingerprints will always be slightly different. Due to all of the environmental factors in the womb during development, (blood pressure, growth rate, etc), fingerprints will evolve into their own unique patterns.

This is just like the way one twin may have a freckle or a birthmark that the other does not. It's all Mother Nature's way of interpreting identical DNA in two separate humans. Identical twins will, though, share similar fingerprint patterns. More so than fraternal twins, or any other human beings for that matter.

Parents, as well as the general public, seem to be intrigued by this particular phenomenon. It is interesting to note that from a purely genetic point of view, identical twins are indistinguishable. Whereas, something as simple as fingerprints will always distinguish one from the other. (Sourced from the internet)

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