(QCOSTARICA) The birth of sextuplets, the first ever in Costa Rica, piqued the interest of La Nacion editors in how many multiple births there are in the country.
Between 2000 and 2013, they report a total of 16,895 babies were born accompanied by at least one other sibling, sometime as members of triplets, quadruplets or more.
The mother who gave birth last week of six (only three have survived so far) was impregnated in vitro with five eggs outside the country. In vitro techniques are still illegal in Costa Rica.
The breakdown shows that 16,355 were twins, 3398 triplets and only 142 were multiple births of four or more. At nearly the same time sextuplets were being born at Mexico Hospital, quadruplets were being born at Calderon Guardia Hospital.
But La Nacion is not the only institution intrigued by the question of multiple births — The Colegio de Medicos (The equivalent of tha AMA in the United States) has announced it will start a study. Their hope is to find if different types of natural fertilization results in multiple births.
Article by iNews.co.cr, with editing by the Q