Q: What is the average gestation for each type of multiple pregnancy?

A: 40 weeks is considered a full-term pregnancy; however few higher-order multiple birth pregnancies last a full 40 weeks because the length of pregnancy decreases with each additional baby.

Around 57% of twins and more than 96% of triplets and higher multiples are born preterm. (source #1)

On average most:

  • singleton pregnancies last 39 weeks
  • twin pregnancies last 35.2 weeks
  • triplet pregnancies last 32.0 weeks
  • quadruplets pregnancies last 29.3 weeks (source #2)

According to our  Medical Birth Survey, the average gestation for families who contact Raising Multiples is approximately:

  • 35.5 weeks for twins
  • 33.1 weeks for triplets
  • 31.3 weeks for quadruplets
  • 29.7 weeks for quintuplets
  • 29.1 weeks for sextuplets

Important note: The numbers above are averages, not goals. Most perinatologists who have extensive experience with higher-order multiple pregnancies agree that your goal is to reach a gestational age of:

  • 37 weeks for twins
  • 35-36 weeks triplets
  • 33-34 weeks for quadruplets and quintuplets

Even if you reach these optimum goals, remember that your babies will still be considered premature and not full-term infants.

Sources:

1. Martin JA, Hamilton BE, Sutton PD, Ventura SJ, Mathews TJ, Kirmeyer S, Osterman MJK. Births: Final data for 2007. National vital statistics reports; vol 58 no XX. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2010. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr58/nvsr58_24.pdf

2. Martin JA, Hamilton BE, Sutton PD, Ventura SJ, et al. Births: Final data for 2006. National vital statistics reports; vol 57 no 7. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2009. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr57/nvsr57_07.pdf

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