A Massachusetts middle school recently held its eighth-grade moving up ceremony, with a remarkable 23 sets of twins among the outgoing students. Pollard Middle School in Needham, Massachusetts, typically has around five to 10 sets of twins per class, making this year’s number of twins exceptionally high. The twins, along with one student whose twin attends a different middle school, made up about 10% of the eighth-grade class. This number is more than three times the national average of twins in the United States, which is around 3% of live births.
The twins at Pollard Middle School could be either identical or fraternal, with about one-third of all twins being identical and the remaining two-thirds being fraternal. The occurrence of fraternal twins can be linked to genetic factors, while identical twins are a result of a single zygote splitting in the womb. In 2022, there were 114,483 twin births in the U.S., making twins the most common type of multiple birth. The increase in multiple births over the past few decades could be due to various factors, including maternal age and the use of fertility treatments.
In a unique situation, a woman from Mali holds the world record for delivering the most children in a single birth to survive. Halima Cissé gave birth to nine babies, known as nontuplets, in May 2021 in Morocco. This broke the previous record held by Natalie Suleman, who delivered octuplets in 2009. All nine of Cissé’s babies survived, despite the doctors initially thinking she was carrying only seven. The nontuplets were delivered via cesarean section at 30 weeks gestation, each weighing between 1.1 and 2.2 pounds at birth.
According to the National Center for Health Statistics, the number of twin births in the United States has been steadily increasing over the past few decades. However, in 2019, this trend began to show a gradual decline. Twins can be genetically linked, with fraternal twins having a higher likelihood of occurring due to genetic factors. Identical twins, on the other hand, have an equal chance of happening in every pregnancy. The reasons behind the increase in multiple births are not entirely clear, but factors such as maternal age and the use of fertility treatments may play a role.
The celebration of the 23 sets of twins at Pollard Middle School highlights the uniqueness of multiple births and their prevalence in society. The twins were given a special mention during their moving up ceremony, recognizing their remarkable presence in the eighth-grade class. With twins representing a higher percentage of the class than the national average, the school community came together to celebrate this extraordinary situation. Twins, whether fraternal or identical, hold a special place in the world of multiple births, showcasing the diversity and complexity of human reproduction.
