Plurality
plurality, twins, triplets, quadruplets, singleton, multiple births, birth
Plurality.Trend
Multiple Births
Plurality is the number of all live births and pregnancy losses (miscarriages, ectopic pregnancies, fetal deaths, selective reductions) in a pregnancy. Multiple births are twins, triplets, quadruplets, and higher order births.
Number of live births which were part of a multiple pregnancy (twin, triplet, etc.)
Total number of live births
Each infant in a multiple birth is counted separately, so, for example, three triplets refers to three live born infants, not three sets of triplets and not necessarily three infants from the same triplet set. If, for example, a mother has a triplet pregnancy and one child is not live born, the two live born infants are each still considered to be one of a set of triplets, not twins.
07/28/2023
There is a high risk of adverse outcome for multiple births.[https://www.acog.org/clinical/clinical-guidance/practice-bulletin/articles/2021/06/multifetal-gestations-twin-triplet-and-higher-order-multifetal-pregnancies ^1^] The outcomes are addressed in the respective indicator profiles.
Both the number and rate of multiple births generally increased through the 1990s and 2000s before beginning to decline after 2011.
The vast majority (97%) of multiple births are twins. The number of triplets peaked in 1998 (at 467) and the proportion of multiples that were triplets in 2021 is less than one-third of what it was in 1998 (2.8% and 10.1%, respectively).
Among New Jersey mothers, there were 3,013 live births that were twins and 88 that were triplets in 2021.
The multiple birth rate in New Jersey had been higher than that of the nation as a whole from 1992-2018. This is thought to be due, in part, to assisted reproductive technology (ART) and the proximity of such services throughout the state, as well as the affluence of some parts of New Jersey compared to other parts of the country. Since 2001, state law has required health insurers to provide coverage for medically necessary expenses incurred in diagnosis and treatment of infertility, including ART.[http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/2000/Bills/PL01/236_.HTM ^2^]
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists' (ACOG) Committee on Ethics published an Opinion report in 2017 advising obstetrician-gynecologists (Ob/Gyns) to be knowledgeable about the medical risks of multifetal pregnancy, the potential medical benefits of multifetal pregnancy reduction, and the complex ethical issues inherent in decisions regarding multifetal pregnancy reduction. Multifetal pregnancies should be prevented whenever possible. When multifetal pregnancies do occur, incorporating the ethical framework presented in the Committee Opinion will help Ob/Gyns counsel and guide patients as they make decisions regarding continuing or reducing their multifetal pregnancies.[https://www.acog.org/clinical/clinical-guidance/committee-opinion/articles/2017/09/multifetal-pregnancy-reduction ^3^]
1. ACOG Practice Bulletin No. 231: [https://www.acog.org/clinical/clinical-guidance/practice-bulletin/articles/2021/06/multifetal-gestations-twin-triplet-and-higher-order-multifetal-pregnancies Multifetal Gestations Twin Triplet and Higher-Order Multifetal Pregnancies]. June 2021.
2. NJ P.L.2001, c.236: [http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/2000/Bills/PL01/236_.HTM]
3. ACOG Committee Opinion No. 719: [https://www.acog.org/clinical/clinical-guidance/committee-opinion/articles/2017/09/multifetal-pregnancy-reduction Opinion on Multifetal Pregnancy Reduction]. Sept 2017.
4. Martin JA, Hamilton BE, Osterman MJK. [https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db80.htm Three decades of twin births in the United States, 1980-2009]. NCHS data brief, no 80. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2012.
National Center for Health Statistics Multiple Births Fast Stats: [https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/multiple.htm]
CHS
mbaron
A
07/28/2023
2006-07 added MLB 4/18/11
2008-09 added 5/10/13 MLB
2010-11 added 8/7/14 MLB
103
x
07/28/2023
Status changed by: mbaron
07/28/2023
HealthStatus
Health Status Outcomes
BirthMOD
Cesarean Deliveries
BirthMOD.Trend
EPHTInfMort
Infant Mortality Rate
EPHTInfMort.RETrend
LBW
Low Birth Weight
LBW.Year
Preterm
Preterm Births
Preterm.RaceEth
Plurality.Trend
Multiple Births
by Year, New Jersey and the U.S.,
1990-2021
Percentage of Live Births
Plurality.Plurality
Multiple Births
Distribution, New Jersey,
2019-2021
Percentage of Live Multiple Births
Plurality.Age
Multiple Births
by Mother's Age, New Jersey,
2019-2021
Percentage of Live Births
Plurality.RaceEth
Multiple Births
by Mother's Race/Ethnicity, New Jersey,
2019-2021
Percentage of Live Births
Plurality.County
Multiple Births
by County of Residence, New Jersey,
2019-2021
Percentage of Live Births