Twins and triplets five times likelier to die in first year

London, June 21 (ANI): Twins and triplet babies are at a five time greater risk of dying within their first year as compared to single babies, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has revealed.

Data from 2009 showed that out of 706,248 live births a total of 3,180 infants died before their first birthday. This was an average of 4.5deaths per 1,000 births.

However, the mortality rate for multiple births was five times higher than for singletons, with 20.4 deaths per 1,000 live births compared with 4.0 deaths per 1,000 live births.

The highest infant mortality rates were for those babies who had extremely low birthweight - twins are far more likely to have a low birth weight compared to single babies.

The figures are particularly concerning because the number of women having multiple births due to IVF has dramatically risen over the past decade, the Daily Mail reported.

Other ONS figures have revealed that there were 15.7 multiple births per 1,000 women in 2010 - which is a rise of 6.8 percent since 2000.

IVF treatment is a major contributor to the multiple pregnancies and multiple birth rates.

On an average, one in five IVF pregnancies results in either twins or triplets, compared with one in 80 where the baby is conceived naturally.

Multiple pregnancies, where a woman becomes pregnant with two or more embryos, can cause complications including miscarriage, premature birth, low birth weight, cerebral palsy and death. (ANI)