Making
Sense Of The Dramatic Rise In Multiple Births
According to the latest data from the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention the U.S. twin rate has
skyrocketed from one pair born out of every 53 live
births in 1980 to one out of every 31 births in 2008.
Where are all these double-babies coming from? And
what's going to happen in years to come—will the
multiple-birth rate continue to grow until America
ends up a nation of twins? The twin boom can be
explained by changes in when and how women are getting
pregnant. Demographers have in recent years described
a "delayer boom," in which birth rates have
risen among the sort of women—college-educated—who
tend to put off starting a family into their mid-30s
or beyond.