Multiples in Mass: Multiple Births and IVF

From: Rebecca Sheir
Length: 05:06

Why Massachusetts is more than just the "Cradle of Liberty." Read the full description.

Piece Audio

Playing: Multiples in Mass: Multiple Births and IVF
From: Rebecca Sheir

Multpic_small Massachusetts has long been known as the "Cradle of Liberty." But these days, it's also the cradle of something else: more twins, triplets and quadruplets than any other state in the nation. With twins, for instance, while the national rate is 3.2 for every 100 live births, in Massachusetts it's 4.5. Experts suspect it has to do with the state's many wealthy, highly educated women, who delay childbirth to pursue careers. But older woman have a harder time conceiving, so they often look to assisted reproductive technology, such as in-vitro fertilization, or IVF. But IVF can be a mighty pricey proposition... unless you're a Bay Stater. In Cambridge, Rebecca Sheir explains.

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Piece Description

Massachusetts has long been known as the "Cradle of Liberty." But these days, it's also the cradle of something else: more twins, triplets and quadruplets than any other state in the nation. With twins, for instance, while the national rate is 3.2 for every 100 live births, in Massachusetts it's 4.5. Experts suspect it has to do with the state's many wealthy, highly educated women, who delay childbirth to pursue careers. But older woman have a harder time conceiving, so they often look to assisted reproductive technology, such as in-vitro fertilization, or IVF. But IVF can be a mighty pricey proposition... unless you're a Bay Stater. In Cambridge, Rebecca Sheir explains.