Even more proof that twin mamas are amazing

[LoisLane]

Thought you all might enjoy this -- it seems we twin moms *are* awesome (and live longer, in general).

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/parenting/infant/infant-development/dont-pity-moms-of-twins-they-may-outlive-you/article2020059/

[mylilmonkeys]

Interesting.  My grandmother, who had fraternal twin girls, one being my mom, is now 92.  

[Smurfette2]

That was a positive article! Thanks for posting that.

[Mama~Love]

It wants me to log in??? I can't see the article.

[Imprint]

Likewise.

[LoisLane]

Hmmm... I was able to click on it and it worked (maybe because I am in Canada?). Here is another link (http://m.theglobeandmail.com/life/parenting/infant/infant-development/dont-pity-moms-of-twins-they-may-outlive-you/article2020059/?service=mobile) and the headline and opening sentences:

Don't pity moms of twins – they may outlive you

TRALEE PEARCE

Globe and Mail Update

Published Thursday, May. 12, 2011 3:28PM EDT

Last updated Thursday, May. 12, 2011 3:56PM EDT

If you’ve ever felt sympathy for a mother of twin infants because it looks like double the trouble, a new study offers a refreshing conversation starter: Mothers of twins appear to live longer than mothers of singletons.

The finding flies in the face of previous research that says having more children reduces a woman’s life span.

But it’s not the twinning itself that leads to a longer life, says University of Utah researcher Ken R. Smith: It’s that the act of having twins appears to “reveal something we wouldn’t otherwise see,” perhaps a trait of robustness.

Prof. Smith, who teaches family and consumer studies and is director of the Utah Population Database at the university, says he and his colleagues are primarily concerned with longevity and disease prevention. They look at fertility very closely, because biologically fertility is not only about giving birth, but also about ensuring one’s offspring reach their own reproductive maturity.

“We started the project because we’re very interested in what makes people live a long time,” Prof. Smith said. “Why does someone make it to 100 or die at 60?”

With about 7 to 8 per cent of mothers giving birth to twins, he wondered what effect the seemingly burdensome experience would have on them. He and his colleagues used the massive Utah Population Database, one of the world’s largest computerized genealogies, which collates the records of more than 1.5 million people in the state from the early 1800s to the mid-1970s.

They narrowed it down to a sample of about 60,000 women born before 1899, and compared mothers of twins with mothers of singleton babies on a number of fronts, including mortality rates after age 50.

Mothers of twins died at a rate of 7.5 per cent less each year compared with the other moms. The effects were strongest in women born before 1870. The study calls this a “natural fertility era,” before the use of emerging family-planning methods.

Not only did the moms of twins live longer past menopause, they also had more children in total, shorter gaps between births, more years of reproduction and were older when they gave birth for the last time.

[Mama~Love]

Thank you, that link worked. How fascinating, and very cool!

[Imprint]

Excellent, thanks for sharing that!  It's very cheering.  

The only caveat I have is about the mother of twins via IVF observing that twin mothers are tall.  Actually, I and all of the handful of twin mothers I know personally (all of whom, from what they've said, have spontaneous twins, as in my own case) are very average heights.  I have seen some tall twin mothers in my multiples classes, but it was far from universal.  (Though no doubt helpful, especially if you're expecting higher-order multiples!)

[fochaux]

LOVE it!

[foxynursejo]

Very interesting, thanks for sharing!

[OGirlieMama]

A twin mom friend had mentioned this to me but I hadn't seen the article. As I joked when I posted it on my FB, if I'm going to live longer, why does it feel like I'm going to die at the end of each day?

[catlvr976]

That is very interesting.