Created by: Top Doctors editorial
Created: 2024-08-27
What is a multiple pregnancy?
A multiple pregnancy is a pregnancy that involves the development of more than one foetus in the womb, resulting from the fertilisation of two or more ovules. Children who are the result of a multiple pregnancy can be identical twins (sharing the exact same set of genes) or non-identical twins (born from two eggs released at the same time).
The rate at which identical twins occur is the same across the world, but the rate of non-identical twins varies from country to country, due to the age and ethnicity of the mother. In the UK, 16 in 1,000 births involve multiple pregnancy , 98% of which are twins.
What are the symptoms of a multiple pregnancy?
The symptoms that distinguish a multiple pregnancy from a normal pregnancy include:
- more intense morning sickness and vomiting
- extreme drowsiness and fatigue
- rapid weight gain (5 kg in the first trimester, compared to 2-3 kg in a normal pregnancy)
- larger expansion of the uterus
- earlier sensation of foetal movement (two weeks before normal pregnancy)
What are the causes of a multiple pregnancy?
The main factors related to multiple pregnancy are:
- a family history of multiple pregnancy
- previous multiple pregnancy
- getting pregnant later in life
- ethnicity, with multiple pregnancy more common in women of West African ancestry
Fertility treatment in the form of IVF is a major risk factor for multiple pregnancy – with 24% of successful IVF procedures resulting in multiple pregnancy.
What is the treatment for a multiple pregnancy?
Treatment is based on a more controlled consultation throughout pregnancy since it is a type of pregnancy that carries more risks than normal. This check-up may involve:
- better nutrition including iron supplementation and folic acid
- more frequent consultations and scanning
- screening for conditions such as Down’s syndrome
- referral to a perinatologist (maternal-foetal specialist) to coordinate the follow-up
- tocolytic drugs (if a premature birth occurs)
- medications with corticosteroids (to help the lungs of foetuses mature)
- the choice to have an elective birth after 35-37 weeks
What are the risks and complications of a multiple pregnancy?
Multiple pregnancy carries the greater risk of a range of conditions including: