Map of Simcoe Muskoka

Pregnancy and Before

Multiple Birth Rate

Mothers with multiple gestation pregnancies are more likely to have anemia, pre-eclampsia, preterm labour and caesarean delivery, while multiple pregnancy babies are more likely to be born prematurely and are therefore smaller and at greater risk for adverse health outcomes such as respiratory failure, gastrointestinal and immunological deficiencies and long-term challenges such as cerebral palsy.


The multiple birth rate in Simcoe Muskoka increased between 2006 and 2016. In 2016, the Simcoe Muskoka multiple birth rate was 3.4% and the Ontario rate was 3.3%.

The upward trend in multiple birth rates in recent decades is likely the result of increased use of assisted reproductive technology (ART) to enhance fertility, as well as an increasingly older average maternal age at conception. Older women are more likely to have natural multiple gestation pregnancies, and are also at increased risk for infertility which increases the usage of assisted reproductive technology.