Facts About Multiples
An Encyclopedia of Multiple Birth Records

Home | Twin Basics | Twins | Conjoined Twins | Triplets | Quadruplets | Quintuplets | Sextuplets | Septuplets | Octuplets + | Multiple Multiples | Fakers | Hoaxes | FAQ

BASIC INFO ON ME

Who are you and why do you do this website?
Are you a twin or multiple yourself?
Are you a parent of multiples?
I've seen other sites using this info, is this the real site?

USING SITE INFO / MORE INFO PLEASE

Can I use the info here on my own website/for a project/in a newsletter etc?
Why is this website so plain?
Can you send me more information about multiples?
Can you tell me about multiples stats for this country/place?
Can you give me info for my school project?
Didn't you used to have pictures here?
How often do you update the site?
Will you link to my multiples website?
Where did the World Lists go?
Fictional sets online
What does "Spontaneous" mean?
Why are some families listed under sextuplets if they had a 7th baby or under quints if they conceived 6?

THINGS I CAN'T ANSWER

Can you answer this parenting question for me?
Can you answer this pregnancy question for me?
Can you answer this question about schooling multiples and separating them in school?
Where did this info come from?
Can you help me trace this relative or tell me more about this set?
What are the effects of prematurity, disability, health problems and what do I do?
How can I contact the families you list on your site?
What are my chances of having twins?

THINGS I'VE ANSWERED ON THE SITE ALREADY

Who is the oldest mom of twins? Or the most multiples ever born? Etc etc
Is there such a thing as boy/girl identical twins?
What is the Faker section all about?

BASIC INFO ON ME

Who are you and why do you do this website?

I'm an author and film production secretary. You can visit my official website here. I made this website because I have an interest in multiple births. While surfing the web back in 1996 I noticed that there wasn't one place where you could get all types of info on multiples.

Are you a twin or multiple yourself?

No, I'm not a twin.

Are you a parent of multiples?

No, I don't have any children at all.  (Which is one very good reason why you shouldn't ask me for parenting advice!)

I've seen other sites using this info. Is this the real site?

Yes. I had someone take my site files and use them as their own, and there are a few sites out there who have cut-and-pasted this info. This is the original Facts About Multiples site that has been in operation since 1997. I have written and coded every page here. I have collected, received and researched all of the information and laid it out as you see here. This is the only site I run; there are no mirrors of this website.
 

USING SITE INFO/MORE INFO PLEASE

Can I use the info here on my own website/for a project/in a newsletter etc?

Yes, you may use portions of the site for research, a news article or school. You are not permitted to copy any of the written sections of the site directly. If you use any info from the site, please include the site name (Facts About Multiples) and URL (http://www3.telus.net/tyee/multiples/index.html) to credit me. You may not reproduce this site as your own website. The site is copyrighted to me, as I wrote and researched all the content.

Why is this website so plain?

My primary reason for doing this site is to share information. Because that's the primary objective, I elected to have a very simple site design, to make it easier to make site updates. I do all of the updates myself, and didn't want to mess with a lot of code, or leave the site to a blog software. So the site design is minimal to allow me to focus on the information rather than a fancy design.

Can you send me more information about multiple births?

No, all of the major info I know is here. I no longer maintain a list of world quadruplets, due to the sheer numbers involved. I don't list every known detail about specific multiples mentioned on the site, and I don't keep those details either (ie middle names, circumstances of birth etc). If it's not listed here, chances are I don't know it and don't have access to the info. Your best chance of finding out more is Google.

Can you tell me stats about multiples for this country/place?

It was too difficult to get accurate listings for the number of multiple births per country, but the statistics I do have may be included here in the future. I don't have the time to respond to every request asking for "how many multiples are born in Canada each year?" Many times this information is available from government websites, such as Statistics Canada, the National Center for Health Information and other organizations. Do what I do - Google for it.

Can you give me info for my school project?

Surf around the site; the info is here. If something isn't listed here, then I don't know the answer. You may use some of the facts in your project, but do not copy outright.

How often do you update the site?

Now that the site is primarily filled with world record info, updates are much less frequent than they used to be. If I do find info about sets that should be added here, I will add it. The date of the most recent update is listed on the main page, but there is no schedule of updates. I do plan to maintain the site at least a few times a year.

Will you link to my multiples website?

I don't have a dedicated links page here, sorry.

Where did the World Lists go?

The world lists are part of this site, but the World Quadruplets and World Conjoined lists are not here. The World Quads list was a huge undertaking - over 3700 sets were listed at last count, with new sets being born almost every other day. The World Conjoined list had over 1400 entries. It became too difficult to maintain the lists.

Fictional Sets Online

There are a few sets online which are NOT real - but they also aren't people pretending to have or be multiples. They're fictional multiples, often with stories written about them. Some people find the sites and assume they're real.

The Carlson Septuplets - Jessie Mannisto created this set before the first set of septuplets ever survived. She writes and draws about her fictional set of identical septuplets and has appeared on CNN. While the multiples aren't real, the stories and drawings are great! There are lot of disclaimers on the site - but some people don't read carefully.

The Matthews Octuplets - There is NO disclaimer on this site. This is also a fictional set of all girl multiples, and the creator used pictures of gymnasts to represent them.

What does "Spontaneous" mean?

Within this website, you may see me refer to some sets of multiple births as "spontaneous". I use this term to refer to conceptions that occurred naturally, with NO fertility drugs and NO IVF or medical procedures. "Spontaneous" just means that no science was involved to create the conception or the conditions for the conceptions. This means that artificial insemination doesn't qualify as "spontaneous". I use this term, rather than "naturally conceived" as I don't feel it's right to refer to births as "unnatural" when they come from fertility drugs, treatments, IVF etc.

Why are some families listed under sextuplets if they had a 7th baby or under quints if they conceived 6?

Some families have contacted me and told me they prefer being listed in one category over another. I've honoured their wishes, but still noted if the pregnancy was conceived with more fetuses for accuracy. There is also no consensus about if a fetus from a septuplet pregnancy is lost in the first trimester, is it now a sextuplet pregnancy? Some people would say yes, some would say no, based on their personal beliefs. So there may be some listings that fall under different categories than you or someone else may choose. 
 

THINGS I CAN'T ANSWER

Can you answer this parenting question?

I am not qualified to answer any parenting questions. I am not a parent myself, I am not a medical or parenting professional. Please direct your questions to those better qualified to answer you.

Can you answer this pregnancy question for me?

I am not qualified to answer any pregnancy questions. I am not a parent myself, I am not a medical professional. Please direct your questions to those better qualified to answer you.

Where did this specific info on the site came from?

Information on this site has come from news sources in various countries (newspapers, television stations, radio stations), government agencies (National Center for Health Statistics, Stats Canada etc), local television news, radio broadcasts, library microfiche, talk shows, hospital websites, books and sometimes, families of multiples themselves. I also use Google Alerts to track multiple births that make the news.

Due to the large amount of information, it is impossible to keep track of where each piece of came from. I delete most emails after I read them, so I have no record of who sent what after I verify.

Can you help me trace this relative or tell me more about this set?

All the info I have posted up is all information I have. I may have read about some sets but didn't include more info other than names and dates, and it's likely I won't remember any of that info because I didn't keep it. I don't do genealogy research on any sets. If it's not listed, I don't have it anymore. After receiving info, I delete emails sent to me, so I can't pass on any email address of people who sent me info either.

What are the effects of prematurity, disability, health problems etc and what can I do?

I have some very basic info on this in the Twin Basics section since so many people asked for the info to be put up, but I am NOT a medical professional and I do NOT research medical problems facing twins. Consult a doctor or organization devoted to the particular disability or health issue you are concerned about.

How can I contact the multiples listed on the site?

I do not give out info on the sets and families that have contacted me, and I delete most emails after they are sent to me and I have posted the relevant information.

What is my chance of having twins?

The Twin Basics section has info on the chance of twins for all different groups of people, but they are only educated guesses based on research from multiple sources. If I don't have a stat listed, I haven't found it yet. There is no formula to determine if you'll have twins based on twins in your family or anything else.
 

THINGS ALREADY ANSWERED ON THIS SITE

Who is the oldest mom of twins? The most multiples ever born etc etc?

Have you not looked at this site? This entire site consists of these Guinness Book type records. Just click on the type of multiples you're interested in on either the top or bottom of the site.

Is there a such thing as boy/girl identicals?

Short answer: yes. See the Twin Basics section for more info.

What is the Faker section all about?

Many multiple birth communities and message boards have trouble with people pretending to have multiples. I've compiled a little bit of information about why this happens and what to do about it.
 

If you wish to contact me, please email me.