She's here to help

A-List Secrets: What's (Really) With All the Twins?

Fri., Aug. 1, 2008 3:45 PM PDT by Leslie Gornstein

ABC/Karen Neal

Rebecca Romijn is the latest star to be pregnant with twins. Is there something in the water in Hollywood?
—Molly, Dayton, Ohio

The compounded pregnantitis, it be spreading. Brangelina, Julia Roberts and now Rebecca Romijn. Or perhaps you speak perhaps of Marcia Cross, who had her twins at age 44. No mystery on that last one. She has said she had in vitro fertilization before conceiving her girls. And some other celebumoms may have had help as well.

"There's a reasonably good chance that some of these women had twins because of in vitro fertilization," says physician Judy Albert of Reproductive Health Specialists in Pittsburgh.

Why that conclusion? Find out after the jump.

About 17 percent of young women suffer from infertility. But for ladies ages 35 to 39, cases of infertility rise to 23 percent, Albert says. And what have we here? J.Lo had her twins at age 38. Roberts was 37 when she had her first two kids. Nancy Grace had hers at 48. Romijn is 35. Only Angelina Jolie, a relative spring chicken, had hers under the age of 35. She may have a pair of arms ropier than beef jerky, but she says she's 33.

For the record:

Lopez has denied in vitro procedures in conceiving Max and Emme.

British tabs have insisted Roberts underwent fertility treatments, though she has said through a flack that twins run in her family.

Per US Weekly, Jolie's twins did come via IVF.

And a "source" close to Romijn has said her twins were conceived without medical intervention

Grace has declined to say anything specific about how she got knocked up with her husband's twins at age 47.

One other thing you should know: Chances of naturally conceived twinnage do rise in women in their 30s. But only by about 2 or 3 percent, Albert says.

So, take in those stats and draw your own conclusions. I'd love to hear your thoughts in our comments.

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