Reduced access to infertility treatments early in the pandemic may have contributed to a drop in twin births, data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggest.

The number of twin births fell 7% between 2019 and 2020 – from 120,291 to 112,437 – compared to an average 2%-per-year decline from 2014 to 2019, researchers reported on Wednesday in the CDC’s National Vital Statistics Reports, based on data from 50 states and the District of Columbia.

The twin birth rate dropped 3% between 2019 and 2020, from 32.1 to 31.1 per 1,000 births, versus an average annual decline of 1% from 2014-2019, the researchers said.

The largest declines were in November and December of 2020 and January 2021, when twin birth rates dropped by 10%, 14% and 7%, respectively, compared to the year before.

“The timing of the monthly declines in late 2020 and early 2021 coincide with a period of conception when the coronavirus pandemic began and (experts) recommended that reproductive medicine professionals temporarily limit infertility treatment,” Isabelle Horon and Joyce Martin wrote in the report.

The number of births involving one baby declined by only 3% from 2019 to 2020, the authors said.

Overall, twin births did not rise significantly in 2021 from 2020 levels, although rates began to increase near the end of the year.

The largest decline in twin births was seen in women over age 40, the group most likely to use infertility treatment. The smallest decline was in women under age 30, who are least likely to use infertility treatment, the authors said.

The study cannot prove pandemic lockdowns caused twin births to decline. In fact, the authors point out that Hispanic women had a larger decline in twin birth rate than non-Hispanic white women, even though Hispanic women are less likely to receive infertility treatments.

Early in the pandemic, the number of babies born prematurely, or at dangerously low weights, was lower than usual, the researchers noted.

Because twins are at higher risk for these outcomes, “the decline in twin births may have contributed, in part, to the reductions in preterm and low birthweight deliveries … between 2019 and 2020,” they said.

Related Galleries:

Source link

The post Ukraine is reaching out to former Soviet states for help with energy equipment appeared first on Ukraine Intelligence.

(NewsNation) — The flag is at half-staff at the University of Idaho Sigma Chi fraternity house, the last place victims Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin were seen alive according to police. The fraternity’s president spoke out on “Rush Hour.”

“I knew them. Ethan was always in the house, Xana was a good friend before Ethan even came up,” said Sigma Chi president Reed Ofsthun.

The fraternity, which is located about half a block from the house where the murders happened, is cooperating with the investigation.

When asked about the timeline of the night in question, Ofsthun said, “As of right now we’ve told Moscow PD, Idaho State Police and the FBI all we know. We’re kind of leaving it up to them to piece it together. Obviously we don’t have the utilities or resources to do it on our own so we’re putting full faith in the officers and the detectives doing it.”

Moscow Police say they are investigating the time frame between 9 p.m. the night before the murders on Nov. 12 and 1:45 a.m., when Ethan and Xana were believed to be at the Sigma Chi house, reports NewsNation’s Brian Entin.

Meanwhile, detectives are not commenting on whether or not they are making significant progress in the case, only saying they have no suspects identified and will not release information at the risk of compromising the investigation 

Starting tomorrow, police will go into the house where the murders were committed, which is still a active crime scene, and start removing the personal items that belonged to some of the victims, to be returned to the victims’ families.

Former FBI profiler Mary Ellen O’Toole spoke out about the case on NewsNation’s “Rush Hour” and said she believes it’s likely the murderer had been to the house before.

“There is evidence of planning in this crime scene. This offender brought the weapon with him … Didn’t grab something out of the kitchen drawer, or at least, we’re not advised that happened,” O’Toole said.

She’s concerned that somebody capable of committing these murders is still capable of killing again. However, she understands why police are being very cautious and said that they should be.