Triplet Pregnancy

Triplet pregnancy is on the rise. Twenty-five years ago, having three babies at once happened only about four times in every 10,000 births. In 2002, there were more than 18 sets of triplets for every 10,000 births.

The major cause of increased triplet pregnancies is the increasing use of fertility treatments. Drugs that promote ovulation are an important factor. In a normal menstrual cycle, a woman releases only one egg. If that egg is fertilized by a man's sperm, it can become a baby. But, fertility drugs can cause a woman to release more than one egg at a time. If multiple eggs are fertilized at once, the result is multiple babies.

Another cause is in vitro fertilization, in which eggs are fertilized outside the woman's body and then transferred to her uterus. Doctors usually transfer several eggs at a time, to increase the chance that one will implant and develop. Sometimes more than one egg begins developing, again resulting in a multiple pregnancy.

A triplet pregnancy may be discovered because the woman's belly is bigger than expected for a given stage in pregnancy. She may be gaining more weight than normal. Or, the doctor may notice more than one baby's heartbeat during a prenatal visit. Most of the time, though, triplets are discovered during routine ultrasound testing on women who have had fertility treatments. Ultrasound is considered the official way of diagnosing a triplet pregnancy.

Being pregnant with triplets means seeing a lot more of your health care provider. Most women will choose to see an obstetrician, preferably one who has experience with multiple pregnancies. There will be frequent prenatal visits, ultrasound exams, and other tests to make sure that the mother is doing well and the babies are developing properly. The doctor will probably advise reducing daily physical activity. Sometimes, women will be asked to take time off work as the pregnancy progresses.

A woman carrying triplets often has much worse morning sickness than a woman carrying only one baby. As the pregnancy progresses, her belly will look larger than in a single pregnancy. She may find that the babies press on her stomach, making it hard to eat large meals. It's important to try to eat healthy foods, though, and the mother of triplets should expect to gain more weight than in a single pregnancy. On average, women pregnant with triplets gain 30 to 55 pounds.

When triplets are discovered early in a pregnancy, it's possible that one or more of them will not develop into a baby. Most of these losses happen within the first nine weeks. One study of women who started out with triplets showed that about half of the mothers delivered three babies, one third delivered twins, and 18 percent delivered a single baby. Three percent of the women miscarried.

Triplet pregnancies have an increased risk of complications. It's very likely that the babies will arrive early. Risks to the mother include preeclampsia (a potentially dangerous condition including high blood pressure and kidney problems) and postpartum hemorrhage (dangerous bleeding after the birth). It's also possible that the developing babies will not be able to grow properly because of the way they are crowded into the uterus.

One of the usual tests for birth defects, the triple screen, doesn't work with triplets. Ultrasound exams can help to reveal some birth defects. The doctor may also recommend amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling, in which a tiny amount of tissue from the placenta is removed and examined.

Doctors are still studying the best way to deliver triplets. It's not uncommon to need a c-section because the babies are not positioned properly for a vaginal birth. In other cases, vaginal delivery may be at least as safe as, if not safer than, a c-section.

Vaginal birth of triplets involves a lot of medical care. Each baby needs to be monitored individually during labor. An epidural for the mother is highly recommended, because the delivery is likely to be difficult. The doctor may even need to reach inside the uterus to help position the babies. The woman should be prepared to need a c-section if there is a problem with the vaginal birth.

After the birth, especially if it was premature, the babies may need to go directly to the neonatal intensive care unit. Premature triplets have similar risks and problems as single or twin babies who are premature, and tend to do about as well.

Finding accurate information on the Internet about triplet births can be difficult. Many web sites relate personal stories, which can be helpful but won't apply to every case.

The National Library of Medicine's web site, MedlinePlus, can be a good place to start your search for information about triplet birth. It provides links to reputable organizations with information about triplet pregnancy.

• Winter Maternity Clothing
• Maternity Polo Shirts
• Summer Maternity Fashion
• Gender Selection and Conception
• Conception Myths

• How Soon Can I Take a Pregnancy Test
• Natural Ways to Induce Labor
• How to Conceive a Boy
• How to Conceive a Girl
• Early Pregnancy Symptoms

• Ovary Pain
• Pregnancy Doctors
• Category:About Pregnancy
• Triplet Pregnancies
• Triple Screen