Multiple birth

Multiple Birth

Multiple birth (/ˈmʌltɪpl bɜːrθ/) is a term used in the field of Obstetrics to describe the occurrence of more than one offspring, known as neonates, resulting from a single pregnancy.

Etymology

The term "multiple birth" is derived from the English words "multiple", meaning several or many, and "birth", which refers to the process of childbirth.

Types of Multiple Births

There are several types of multiple births, including:

• Twins: This is the most common type of multiple birth, where two offspring are produced in the same pregnancy. Twins can be identical (monozygotic) or fraternal (dizygotic).

• Triplets: This is when three offspring are produced in the same pregnancy. Like twins, triplets can also be identical, fraternal, or a combination of both.

• Quadruplets: This is when four offspring are produced in the same pregnancy.

• Quintuplets: This is when five offspring are produced in the same pregnancy.

• Sextuplets: This is when six offspring are produced in the same pregnancy.

• Septuplets: This is when seven offspring are produced in the same pregnancy.

Related Terms

• Fertility: The natural capability to produce offspring.

• In vitro fertilization: A medical procedure where an egg is fertilized by sperm in a test tube or elsewhere outside the body.

• Zygote: The cell formed by the union of two gametes; the fertilized ovum before it begins to divide.

• Embryo: An unborn or unhatched offspring in the process of development.

• Fetus: An unborn offspring of a mammal, in particular, an unborn human baby more than eight weeks after conception.

See Also

• Multiple pregnancy
• Twin study
• Vanishing twin syndrome

External links

• Medical encyclopedia article on Multiple birth
• Wikipedia's article - Multiple birth

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