Wellness Brief
Minnesota is having fewer twins
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In the last decade, the rate of twin births has declined overall in Minnesota and the country, per CDC data.
The big picture: Early use of IVF contributed to a national twin baby boom. But once fertility treatments got more advanced, doctors increasingly recommended transferring a single embryo to reduce pregnancy risks.
By the numbers: Minnesota's rate has largely remained higher than the U.S. rate, spiking to 34.5 twin births per 1,000 births in 2022, then declining to 31.7 by 2024, per the CDC.
Between the lines: The reason behind the state's 2022 twin birth increase isn't entirely clear, says Sylia Wilson, associate professor at the Minnesota Center for Twin and Family Research.
- Wilson initially wondered whether pandemic-era stress could have played a role, but research she later reviewed did not support that theory.
- Another possible factor: Minnesota saw relatively high birth rates among women in their 30s and early 40s in 2022 — age groups that are more likely to have twins.
- Those birth rates declined in 2023, the same year Minnesota's twin rate fell from its 2022 peak.