Carrying Multiples:-Triplets, Quadruplets, Quintuplets, Sextuplets

Multiple pregnancies occur when the uterus nurtures more than one fetus. Giving birth to twins is the most common form of multiple pregnancies. In human, multiple pregnancies are very rare. They are more common in the animal kingdom. One, out of 80 women, gives birth to twins. The other forms of multiple pregnancies are too rare, with only one in every 6,400 women giving birth to triplets. Higher order multiple births like quadruples and quintuplets are ever rarer.

However, high order multiple pregnancies are not completely unknown. Many times, the babies are safely delivered and they have good chances of survival too. There have been a few cases of octuplets (eight offspring) too. Only one of them died at birth, while the rest are still leading a normal like.

Frequencies of multiple pregnancies:

Twins are born to one in 80 women. Triplets are born to one in every 6400 women, while the higher order pregnancies happen to one in every 700,000 women. However, in most cases of higher order multiple pregnancies, the babies fail to survive for too long

There are three subtypes of multiple pregnancies:
Monozygotic: When one zygote (egg), splits into two or more embryos. Monozygotic pregnancy gives birth to identical twins, of the same sex, as all the embryos are carrying the same genetic material from one single zygote. These twins are maternal twins
Dizygotic: When more than one ovum is released during the menstrual cycle, and each one of them are then fertilized by more than one sperm, it gives birth to dizygotic twines. These twins are genetically different from one another, and can also have different sex; they are also caller fraternal twins.
Polyzygotic: This case is a combination of monozygotic and dizygotic twins. It is a very rare process. Most multiple pregnancies are a result of polyzygotic phenomenon.

If you're pregnant with more than one baby, you're more likely to:

Develop a problem that causes your blood pressure to get too high (preeclampsia).
Develop a type of diabetes that can occur while you're pregnant (gestational diabetes).
Deliver your babies too early. When babies are born too early, their organs haven't had a chance to fully form. This can cause serious lung, brain, heart, and eye problems.
Have a miscarriage. This means that you may lose one or more of your babies.

There is also a greater chance that one or more of your babies may be born with a disease that is caused by a bad gene or group of genes. If you or anyone in your family has had a child with a disease that is linked to a gene change, let your doctor know. There are tests that you can have between 10 and 20 weeks of your pregnancy that can tell if your babies are at risk for certain genetic disorders or birth defects.