Fewer triplets are being born in the US, according to a new CDC report

It turns out that October is really special.

According to a Thursday report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The researchers noted that white mothers accounted for the largest decline in these types of births (71%) compared to a 25% decline for Hispanic mothers and a 25% increase for black mothers.

“This decline in triplet and higher order births over the past 25 years has been accompanied by changes in guidelines regarding the number of embryos transferred during the use of assisted reproductive technology,” the report said.

Implanting more than one embryo created through in vitro fertilization (IVF) increases the chance of pregnancy – and it’s cheaper than going through several cycles.

However, implantation of some embryos increases the risk of premature or low birth weight babies, as well as ectopic pregnancy, stillbirth, high blood pressure and gestational diabetes for the mother.

As multiple births became more common, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASMR) and the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology issued guidelines in the late 1990s recommending the maximum number of embryos for transfer.

Three was the upper limit for women younger than 35. Patients with a “below average” prognosis – women over 40 and those who had several failed IVF cycles – could have up to five implants at a time.

Now, ASRM recommends transferring only one embryo in most cases. For women over 40, no more than four untested early-stage embryos should be implanted at once.

“These guidelines have evolved as technology has evolved,” Dr. Micah Hill, president of the Association for Assisted Reproductive Technology, who was not involved in the new report.

“I think it’s been successful in making fertility treatments safer, which is really what we’re interested in when we talk about reducing these higher-order multiples,” Hill added.

The decision is ultimately left to the doctor and the patient.

The CDC reports that the rate of triplet and higher order births decreased from 193.5 births per 100,000 total births in 1998 to 73.8 births last year, with the largest decline recorded between 2009 and 2023.

It was in 2009 that Octomom Nadya Suleman gave birth to an octuple, sparking a media frenzy and ethical questions about embryo implantation.

Meanwhile, Kate and Jon Gosselin’s sextuplets and twins were already leading at that point. The broken family was in the TV spotlight for more than a decade starting in 2005. The sextuplets turned 20 and the twins turned 24 this year.