The Secular Trend of Twinning in Australia, 1853–1982
Acta geneticae medicae et gemellologiae twin researchPublished 1 April 1986Open access
John D.H. Doherty, P. Lancaster
Citations44
Generate an AI Snapshot to get a quick, structured summary of this paper.
Study Snapshot
ObjectiveStudy objective
MethodsResearch methodology
PopulationPopulation studied
Sample sizeSample sizes
OutcomesStudy outcomes here
ResultsStudy results comes here
LimitationsResearch study limitations comes here
A concise AI-generated summary of the paper will appear here once you click Generate AI Snapshot.
TL;DR
The incidence of twinning in Australia from 1853 to 1982 is described and no adequate explanation has been given for this increase, so continuing surveillance in many different populations is necessary.
Abstract
The incidence of twinning in Australia from 1853 to 1982 is described. The overall trend was determined by changes in the dizygotic rate and, for more than a century, it has been similar to that found in Finland and the South of Italy. It is not explained by demographic changes and there is no clear relationship with industrialisation or psychosocial factors. Monozygotic twinning has increased, most markedly in the 1970s. No adequate explanation has been given for this increase, so continuing surveillance in many different populations is necessary.
Keywords
Agricultural and Biological Sciences
Wiley series in probability and statisticsStatistical Methods for Rates and Proportions
18,048 Citations2003Joseph L. Fleiss, Bruce Levin +1 more
American Journal of AnatomyDevelopmental rate and structural expression: An experimental study of twins, ‘double monsters’ and single deformities, and the interaction among embryonic organs during their origin and development
556 Citations1921Charles R. Stockard
The Journal of PediatricsMonozygotic twinning and structural defects
529 Citations1979Albert Schinzel, David W. Smith +1 more
The finding of both discordant and concordant MZ twins with Goldenhar, de Lange, and Rubinstein-Taybi syndromes suggests that these "syndromes" might be early malformation complexes.
Pflügers Archiv - European Journal of PhysiologyBeiträge zur Physiologie und Pathologie der Mehrlingsgeburten beim Menschen
273 Citations1901Wilhelm Weinberg
The LancetNEPHROTOXICITY OF CYCLOSPORIN A IN LIVER AND KIDNEY TRANSPLANT PATIENTS
248 Citations1981Göran B. Klintmalm, Shunzaburo Iwatsuki +1 more
CyA is nephrotoxic but this toxicity is easily reversed, even after many months of treatment, and the ease with which this complication can be managed suggests that neph rotoxicity should not diminish the high expectations that transplant surgeons have for CyA.
PubMedCongenital malformations in twins.
167 Citations1970S Hay, D A Wehrung
Twins had more malformations of the central nervous, musculoskeletal, ear, respiratory, cardiovascular, and alimentary systems and fewer malformations of the genitourinary and integumentary systems than singletons than singletons.
PubMedCongenital malformation in twins.
104 Citations1980P M Layde, Jon D. Erickson +2 more
Data from the population-based Metropolitan Atlanta Congenital Defects Program show that the overall rate of malformed infants, as well as the incidence of several specific defects, is higher for twins than for singletons.
Journal of Biosocial ScienceSecular changes in dizygotic twinning rates
75 Citations1972William H. James
NatureInduction of monozygotic twinning in the mouse
60 Citations1978M. H. Kaufman, K. Sue O’Shea
This work provides direct evidence regarding the comparatively late stage of embryonic development when identical twin formation may be induced in the mouse, as the most advanced stage at which twinning could be induced with vincristine was at the early headfold stage.
Journal of Biosocial ScienceSecond survey Of secular trends in twinning rates
59 Citations1982William H. James
Low twinning rates found in Central and South America may indicate the genetic affiliations of their inhabitants with those (of Mongoloid origin) of countries in the Far East.
Journal of Epidemiology & Community HealthTwinning in Twin Pedigrees
58 Citations1950Natasha Chaudhary
The age of the mother, and the number of previous children born to her, for all births completely registered, does not give exactly the parity of a birth, as some of the previous children may have resulted from multiple births.
Acta geneticae medicae et gemellologiae twin researchMalformations in Twins and Their Siblings, Norway, 1967-79
56 Citations1984Gayle C. Windham, T Bjerkedal
The results indicate that twins have elevated rates of at least some congenital malformations, and common factors that can lead to either like-sex twinning, central nervous system defects, or both are suggested.
Acta geneticae medicae et gemellologiae twin researchAnalysis of Multiple Birth Rates in Japan.<i>1. Secular Trend, Maternal Age Effect, and Geographical Variation in Twinning Rates</i>
54 Citations1979Yōko Imaizumi, Eiji Inouye
The MZ and the DZ twinning rates among fetal deaths by maternal age had unimodal distributions with modes in maternal age groups 25--29 and 30--34 years, respectively; the rate was positively correlated with latitude, and a negative but nonsignificant correlation was seen between the D Z twinning rate and the proportion of mothers treated with ovulation-inducing hormone.
Acta geneticae medicae et gemellologiaeCongenital Malformations in Twins
53 Citations1976Ntinos C. Myrianthopoulos
Journal of Epidemiology & Community HealthChanges in the twinning rate in Canada 1926-70.
47 Citations1973Mark Elwood
James (1972) has reported rapid falls of 20-25% in dizygotic twinning rates in nine European countries, Australia, and New Zealand, starting abruptly between 1956 and 1964 and suggests that food additives might be involved.
American Journal of EpidemiologyFREQUENCY OF TWINNING IN CALIFORNIA1
46 Citations1967Paul W. Shipley, Jo Ann Wray +3 more
Social BiologyEase of conception in mothers of twins
41 Citations1971Gordon Allen, Joseph Schachter
The long-term decline in dizygotic twinning in the United States could be explained by high fecundability in twin prone women, which would have brought twinning down toward the average rate for all women.
Archives of Environmental Health An International JournalConjoined Twinning in Mammalian Teratology
41 Citations1969Vergil H. Ferm
Three cases of conjoined twinning have been found in the golden hamster following treatment of the mothers with three different known teratogens: vitamin A, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), and urethan.
Scandinavian Journal of Social MedicineSecular Changes in the Twinning Rate in Denmark 1931 to 1977
36 Citations1980P Rachootin, Jørn Olsen
There is evidence of a real decline in twinning in Denmark, independent of the effects of changing patterns of maternal age and parity, consistent with reports of a general decline in Twinning rates from a number of other countries.
The Japanese Journal of Human GeneticsAnalysis of multiple birth rates in Japan
35 Citations1980Yōko Imaizumi, Eiji Inouye
Over-all triplet birth rate in Japan was decreased during 1955 to 1967 and 1974, but dizygotic rate as estimated from monozygotic and dIZygotic twinning rates was decreased with the year, whereas trizygotic rate seems to be independent of maternal age.
Journal of Biosocial ScienceMultiple births in Australia, 1944–63
32 Citations1969Gayle Pollard
The proportion of multiple births increases with increasing age of mother up to about age 37, turns, and decreases thereafter, and from the small amount of data it appears that the proportion of triplets also increases withincreasing age ofMother.
Journal of Epidemiology & Community HealthObservations on Twinning in New York State
29 Citations1965Alan M. Gittelsohn, Samuel Milham
The present investigation of the incidence of human twinning related to gestational and demo graphic characteristics is one of a series of birth-rate studies of all births recorded in New York State, excluding New York City, among a population of approximately two million maternities registered during the 11-year period.
Acta geneticae medicae et gemellologiaeRetrospective Studies on the Twinning Rate in Scandinavia
29 Citations1976A.W. Eriksson, Merja Eskola +1 more
Acta geneticae medicae et gemellologiaeRetrospective Studies of the Twinning Rate in Scandinavia
23 Citations1974Aldur W. Eriksson
Acta geneticae medicae et gemellologiaeDo Conception Delays Explain Some Changes in Twinning Rates?
21 Citations1970Gordon Allen, Joseph Schachter
The probability of a twin birth depends strongly and almost equally on the age of the mother and on the number of children she has had, and the frequency of twinning varies between countries or geographic regions and between years or decades.
Annals of Human BiologySecular changes in twinning rates in England and Wales
20 Citations1980William H. James
The monozygotic twinning rate in England and Wales seems to have increased over the years of 1957-1977, which constitutes evidence against the suggestion that the secular decline in dizygotic twinting rates over the same period has been due to an increase in spontaneous abortion rates.
Acta geneticae medicae et gemellologiaeUnexplainable Demographic Phenomena of Multiple Births in Hungary
20 Citations1972A. Czeizel
The decrease trend of multiple births temporarily broke off in Hungary in 1970, with an increase from 18.18% 0 {1968) to 20.94% o (1970), i.e., about 400 cases of excess.
Acta geneticae medicae et gemellologiaeThe Secular Decline in Dizygotic Twinning Rates in Italy
20 Citations1975William H. James
It is shown that the recent secular decline in DZ twinning rates in Italy was not solely due to secular changes in birth order or maternal age, and the extent of the decline differed in different maternal age-parity categories.
Acta geneticae medicae et gemellologiaeThe Changing Incidence of Twinning in Scotland in 1939-1968
20 Citations1970Ian MacGillivray
Acta geneticae medicae et gemellologiaeDemographic Characteristics of Multiple Births in Hungary
18 Citations1971Andrew E. Czeizel, George T. F. Acsadi
This demographic survey belonged to preparatory works connected with the setting up of the Budapest Twin Register which came into force on January 1st, 1970 and it can be observed that there are more boys than girls among the first-born of multiple births.
Acta geneticae medicae et gemellologiae twin researchAnalysis of Multiple Birth Rates in Japan. <i>II. Secular Trend and Effect of Birth Order, Maternal Age, and Gestational Age in Stillbirth Rate of Twins</i>
17 Citations1980Yōko Imaizumi, Akio Asaka +1 more
Journal of Epidemiology & Community HealthAn investigation of the high twinning rate in the Republic of Ireland.
17 Citations1972G Dean, Thomas E. Keane
Acta geneticae medicae et gemellologiaeIncidence of Twin Births in Denmark from 1911 to 1974
14 Citations1978Johannes Nielsen, Akira Homma +2 more
A survey of twin births in Denmark in relation to the total number of births from 1911 to 1974 shows a significant decrease in the dizygotic twin birth rate for all maternal age groups.
Acta geneticae medicae et gemellologiaeMultiple Births in Poland in 1949-1971
13 Citations1972A. Rola-Janicki
It is concluded that the frequency of polyovulation increases with parity, whereas it becomes reduced with age on account of menopause effect already at age 40.
Acta geneticae medicae et gemellologiae twin researchMultiple Birth Rates in Japan: Further Analysis
13 Citations1984Yuji Imaizumi, E Inouye
Although the sample size is small, Japan seems to be characterized by higher rates of triplets and quadruplets of polyembryonal origin and lower rates of those of polyovulational origin as compared to Caucasian populations.
Annals of Human BiologyThe secular variation of Australian twin births over fifty years
13 Citations1977C. J. Brackenridge
Twins born during the fifty years 1920-69 in Australia were analysed statistically and their sex composition was found to be homogeneously distributed in a geographical but not a secular manner.
Acta geneticae medicae et gemellologiae twin researchTwinning Rates and Seasonal Changes in Görlitz, Germany, from 1611 to 1860
13 Citations1984Jonathon Richter, Takayuki Miura +2 more
Old-age twinning rates were evaluated over a period of 250 years (1611-1860), from 80,256 parish records of baptism in a church office in Görlitz, East Germany.
Acta geneticae medicae et gemellologiaeMultiple Births in Southern Moravia
11 Citations1972M Zahálková
The frequency of living twins born in Southern Moravia in the period 1960-1970 was studied and found to be 0.67%.
Acta geneticae medicae et gemellologiaeTwinning Frequencies in Baden-Wurttemberg According to Maternal Age and Parity from 1955 to 1972
10 Citations1976Jens Krueger, Peter Propping
The analysis of the birth data in Baden-Württemberg from 1955 to 1972 shows that the decline of the DZ twinning rate can be explained only to a small extent by the shift of the maternal age-parity distribution towards younger mothers and lower parities.
Annals of Human BiologyCauses of an extremely high local twinning rate
10 Citations1983H D Schmidt, F.W. Rösing +1 more
The Romanian village Eftimie Murgu, until recently quite endogamous, shows a remarkably high total twinning frequency of 20‰ between 1927 and 1977, suggesting that genetics is an important cause of twin births.
Biodemography and Social BiologyTwinning and the changing pattern of breast‐feeding: A possible relationship in a small rural population
8 Citations1981Pierre Philippe
It is reported that the changing pattern in the practice of breastfeeding in the community between 1800 and 1939 led to an increased incidence of monozygotic (MZ) twinning, in contrast to the overall standardized twinning rates which, based on the changing fertility patterns of the population, point to an expected lowering of twin births.
Acta geneticae medicae et gemellologiaeChanges in twin frequencies
7 Citations1954Norma McArthur
It is of interest to see whether there have been changes in population frequencies with time which may have arisen from changing social • habits or changes in ; other environmental factors.
The Medical Journal of AustraliaEctopic pregnancy in Queensland, 1971–1980
6 Citations1985Victor Siskind
An examination of data from the Queensland Hospital Morbidity Collection indicated that the incidence of ectopic pregnancy as a proportion of total births appeared to have doubled between 1971 and 1980.