Births of triplets up 40 per cent in 20 years
The number of triplets born in Switzerland has risen by 40 per cent over the past 20 years, according to a study.
The research carried out by Zurich University Hospital examined the numbers of triplets, quadruplets and quintuplets born between 2005 and 2008 and compared the data with that of 1985 to 1988 and of 1995 and 1998.
Between 2005 and 2008, 105 sets of triplets, two sets of quadruplets and one set of quintuplets were born. While births of quadruplets and quintuplets remained stable, births of triplets were up 40 per cent from the 1980s.
The study found that three-quarters of triplets and all quadruplets and quintuplets were conceived through artificial insemination methods.
More than half of the triplet births were conceived through in vitro fertilisation (IVF), which increases the risk of multiple births, the study said.
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