Paternal age and twinning in the Jerusalem Perinatal Study

Do Males Affect Twinning Events? A Review of Current Findings/Twin Research Reviews: Monozygotic Twins Discordant for Parkinson's Disease; Fetal Loss in Twin Pregnancies Following Prenatal Diagnosis; Uterine Rupture and Repair in an Early Twin Pregnancy; Twin Study of Affectionate Communication/Human Interest: Conjoined Twins in a Triplet Set; Identical Twin Nurses Deliver Identical Twins; Identical Twins Discordant for COVID-19 Recovery Course; Identical Twins Pass Away from COVID-19; Archeological Finds of Oldest Identical Twins

Research into the origins of twinning has focused mostly on contributions from the female side of the family. A review of current findings suggests that possible male contributions to twinning events have been overlooked. This section is followed by brief reviews of twin research concerning monozygotic twins discordant for Parkinson's disease, fetal loss in twin pregnancies following prenatal diagnosis, uterine rupture and repair in an early twin pregnancy and a twin study of affectionate communication. The concluding portion of this article presents human interest stories involving twins that are both informative and poignant, namely conjoined twins in a triplet set, identical twin nurses who delivered identical twins, identical twins discordant for COVID-19 recovery course, identical twins who passed away from COVID-19 and archeological finds of the oldest identical twins.

Twins and socioeconomic factors: changes in the last 20 years

BACKGROUND

Socioeconomic factors associated with twins/multiples have been sparsely studied.

METHODS

Data, regarding twin out of total births from 1996 to 2015, were extracted from databases of the Hellenic Statistical Authority and analyzed.

RESULTS

Twinning rate in Greece has increased from 1996 and onwards, in parallel with advanced maternal age and decline in total births. Higher twin rates are associated with higher maternal education, better paid parental occupations, and thus wealthier families, married maternal status, while immigrants present a lower twinning rate than Greeks. Lastly, the years of the economic crisis, starting in the year 2008 and still continuing, are characterized by a higher percentage of twins.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings should be mainly attributed to the postponement of fertility, as well as the treatment of infertility with transfer of multiple embryos, when assisted reproductive technologies are applied.

Maternal and paternal age and twinning in the United States, 2004-2008

AIMS

To determine the effects of increasing maternal age and related maternal and possibly paternal factors.

METHODS

A US database of more than 8 million births was analyzed to determine the relationships between maternal age, maternal ethnicity, marital status, maternal smoking and paternal age on twinning rates.

RESULTS

Twinning rates increased proportionally with maternal age. African American women had a higher twinning rate than Caucasian women. Hispanic, Asian and Native American women had comparatively lower rates than Caucasians. After controlling for ethnicity and other maternal factors, increasing maternal age was still related to increased twinning rates. Increased paternal age had a small but significant independent association with an increased rate of twinning.

CONCLUSIONS

Both increasing maternal and paternal age are related to increased rates of twinning. This age effect is independent of other factors also associated with twinning.