Abstract

A prospective study of human reproduction was conducted in Tamilnadu State, South India, from 1969 to 1975. This paper reports twinning rates and relates these to maternal age, parity, and consanguinity. Birth weights and other dimensions at birth and infant mortality are also studied. The overall twinning rate was 1 in 115 births. Dizygotic twinning rates increased significantly with maternal age and parity. The measurements at birth for like-sexed twin pairs were lower than that of unlike-sexed, but the mortalities did not differ significantly. Twins, in general, had a several fold increase in mortality as compared with singletons.