Parents lacking health information
Updated on 06 July 2009
Parents expecting twins and triplets are missing out on vital information to protect their babies' health, an expert has warned.
Keith Reed, chief executive of the Twins and Multiple Births Association (Tamba), said parents were not getting specific education on multiple pregnancies - putting pregnant women and their children at risk.
He said: "The number of multiple birth pregnancies has increased dramatically in the last three decades, so that now approximately one in 30 births involves twins."
"In effect, that means there will be twins in every school classroom.
"But even though multiple birth pregnancies are by their nature higher risk, two in three mothers are being denied access to multiple-specific parent education and tailored treatment that would significantly improve their babies' chances of a healthy outcome.
"Without these, mother and babies are more likely to suffer complications, and the risk of infant morbidity increases too."
Mr Reed has written to Health Secretary Andy Burnham and his predecessor Alan Johnson but has yet to receive a reply.
"The Government talks about personalising the health service, but when are they going to take even basic steps to ensure healthy outcomes for multiple births?" he said.
The number of multiple births has been on the rise in recent years due to fertility treatment and the increasing number of older mothers, who are more likely to have a multiple pregnancy.
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has been driving a national strategy to cut the number of multiple pregnancies from IVF, by asking doctors to transfer one embryo per IVF cycle.
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