Multiple -child pregnancies have been one of the major health concerns in the U.S. They not only endanger the life of the mother and the fetuses but also involve higher hospitalization charges compared to single births.
A recent study reveals that twin births are five times more expensive than single births and multiple pregnancies hike up the cost 20 times, reports Medical Express.
The study was conducted by researchers at the University of Philadelphia, led by Elkin.V. Lemos. The findings are based on the medical insurance claims data (total expenditure) on pregnancies and live child births in national hospitals in the U.S. between the years 2005 and 2010.
According to the researchers, there were more than 43, 927 deliveries in this period of which 97.02 percent were singleton births, 2.85 percent were twins birth and 0.13 percent were triplets.
The twins or multiple-child pregnancies usually led to more medical complications compared to the singleton births and both the mother and the children needed greater medical attention. In fact, twins or triplets were found to be more susceptible to medical complexities and required extended hospitalization in neonatal intensive care units.
On an average a singleton birth costs around $21,458 whereas it is $104,831 for twins, and $407,199 for triplets or more. "Pregnancies with the delivery of twins cost approximately five times as much when compared with singleton pregnancies; pregnancies with delivery of triplets or more cost nearly 20 times as much," reads the study published on a recent issue of American Journals of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
The increase in fertility treatments and late pregnancies are the primary reasons for multiple-child pregnancies. Multiple-child pregnancies exert greater load on the placenta often resulting in one child having lesser growth compared to the other and high blood pressure in mothers.
Multiple-child pregnancies lead to premature births too. In the U.S., premature births have increased by more than 20 percent between 1990 and 2006, reveals a recent CDC report. Early births lead to several medical complexities in infants like growth disorders, respiratory distress and low life span.