Your Chances of Having Twins

What factors predispose couples to have twins? Here are some interesting findings.

Genetics
If you are a woman whose mother, sister, maternal aunt or maternal grandmother had fraternal twins, this trait may have been passed to you. Fraternal twins can only be conceived if a woman releases two eggs at ovulation, and this trait has been genetically predetermined in some people.

Age
If you are a woman between the ages of 35 - 39, you are more likely to conceive twins. This likelihood increases more after 40, but mostly because women are using fertility treatments at that age. Women over 35 may release more than one egg at ovulation because their cycles are being disrupted by per menopause.

Previous Pregnancies
The more previous pregnancies and births a woman has experienced, the more likely twins will be in subsequent pregnancies. If a woman has conceived twins (especially fraternal twins) before, she is more likely to have them again.
Race/Ethnicity
In the United States, people of African descent have a higher incidence of twins than Caucasians, who have a higher rate of twinning than Asians. Native Americans have a slightly lower incidence than Asians, and Hispanics have the lowest rate of twinning.

Weight/Height
Obese women, especially those with a body mass index over 30, tend to conceive twins more often, but also have higher risk pregnancies because of the excess weight. Taller women are also more likely to conceive twins.

Diet/Nutrition
There is some scientific evidence that eating animal products, especially dairy, increases a woman's chances of conceiving twins. Vegan women who eat no dairy have a very low rate of twin conception. Women whose diets are high in folate seem to conceive twins more often, as do those who eat yams or other products high in natural estrogen-like compounds. Women in the Yoruba tribe in Africa have a phenomenal rate of twinning, and consume yams as a major part of their diet. Once twins have been conceived, consuming a healthy, adequate diet is essential for the proper development of the babies as well.

Environment
Strangely enough, some studies have found that living near a polluted area increases a woman's chances of having twins. Breastfeeding Women who are breastfeeding when they get pregnant again (often accidentally!) are more likely to conceive twins.

Infertility
As those who have been through the infertility process know, both infertility drugs and IVF increase a couple's chances of a multiple pregnancy

How to Date and Still Be a Good Mom

If you're recently single, you might wonder how you can balance your desire for a romantic relationship with the requirements of your children. Your dating habits can set the tone for your children's future relationships, both positive and negative. You must set a good example for your children while meeting your needs.

Step1
Wait until the right moment to introduce your children to your date. Your kids don't need to meet every man you date. When you feel the dating turning into a relationship, it's time to include the children.

Step2
Be truthful with your children. Although your intimate life is private, if your teenager sees your dates spending the night and you teach values that prohibit premarital sex, you're sending mixed messages.

Step3
Expect children to vacillate in their acceptance of your dates. Sometimes children like the date in the beginning, but feel threatened as the relationship progresses and they have to "share" their mother with another adult.

Step4
Maintain your priorities. Although you shouldn't be a martyr, you must keep your children's needs in first place. Scheduling a romantic getaway the same weekend as your daughter's piano recital reflects questionable decision-making and may hurt or offend your child. It also sets up the "him or me" situation you want to avoid.

Step5
Don't give too much weight to the advice of others who may have a bias. Your family and friends might have trouble with your new role as a dating mom. Only you can decide what's best for you and your children.

Step6
End the relationship if it's not working for you. If you maintain an unhappy relationship because your children adore the man, you risk repeating another failed marriage. Learning to cope with loss serves as a part of a child's life experience.

Now is the time to get flu vaccine, state health officials warn

State public health officials are encouraging Kentuckians to be vaccinated for flu now to reduce the spread of the illness. Steve Davis, M.D., acting commissioner of the Department for Public Health, said in a news release, “Getting the flu vaccine each year is the best way to protect against the flu’s spread and severity.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends flu vaccine for anyone older than 6 months. People who should especially receive the flu vaccine, because they may be at higher risk for complications or negative consequences, include:
• Children age 6 months to 19 years;
• Pregnant women;
• People 50 years old or older;
• People of any age with chronic health problems;
• People who live in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities;
• Health care workers;
• Caregivers of or people who live with a person at high risk for complications from the flu; and
• Out-of-home caregivers of or people who live with children less than 6 months old.

Healthy, non-pregnant people age 2-49 years can get either the flu shot or the nasal vaccine spray. Children younger than 9 who are being vaccinated against flu for the first time should receive a second dose four or more weeks after their first vaccination.

Flu is a very contagious disease caused by a virus. About 23,000 Americans die from seasonal flu and its complications in an average year, but actual numbers vary from year to year.

In addition to the flu vaccine, officials encourage all adults 65 or older and others in high-risk groups to ask their health care provider about the pneumococcal vaccine. This vaccine can help prevent a type of pneumonia, one of the flu’s most serious and potentially deadly complications.

For more information on influenza or the availability of flu vaccine, please contact your local health department or visit www.healthalerts.ky.gov.

New survey shows dramatic increase in employer-sponsored health insurance rates

The average cost of employer-sponsored health insurance has increased 9 percent for family coverage and 8 percent for individual coverage since last year, a new study by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Health Research & Education Trust shows. "Both increases are the largest since 2005," Tony Pugh of McClatchy Newspapers writes, surpassing the national 2 percent increase in wages and 3.2 percent increase in inflation.

Since 2001, family coverage premiums have escalated 113 percent while workers' wages have only risen 34 percent and inflation – 27 percent, Pugh reports. Researchers are unclear if the increase in premiums is temporary or whether higher increases will continue. "We really don't know, and we won't know until next year," Drew Altman, president and CEO of the Kaiser Family Foundation told Pugh.

Employers pay on average about 72 percent toward family coverage and 82 percent for single coverage, Pugh reports, leaving workers paying 28 percent for family and 18 percent for single coverage. Of those surveyed, about 31 percent of covered workers were in high-deductible plans, a 10 percent increase from 2006.

Increasing costs in medical care is "the main culprit behind the rate increases," Karen Ignagni, president of America's Health Insurance Plans told Pugh. "Insurers' expectation of stronger economic recovery" and insurers' fears of increased costs from the 2010 Affordable Care Act may be driving higher premiums, Pugh reports.

Despite insurers' fears, an analysis by Kaiser and the federal government suggest that the 2010 Affordable Care Act accounts for only 1 to 2 percentage points of the increase. Only two measures, coverage of adult children to age 26 and no patient cost-sharing coverage on certain preventive medical services, were implemented thus far with the remaining provisions taking effect in 2014, Pugh reports. This month, insurers will be required to publicly disclose information about rate increases of 10 percent or more for review by state or federal officials to determine if the increase is warranted. (Read more)