Yes, you definitely are seeing double. The twin birth rate has reached an all-time high in the U.S., according to the most recent numbers released from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). For every 1,000 births — the twin birth rate was 33.9 percent in 2014 (that includes all twin births, both natural and assisted).

Largely responsible for that baby boom is IVF, however, and families most often rejoice at the news of two healthy babies rather than one.

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However, while twins typically live healthy lives, there can be serious medical complications during pregnancy and with fetal development.

Dr. Eli Adashi, former dean of medicine and biological sciences at Brown University and a professor of obstetrics and gynecology, writes in a new editorial in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology that preterm birth and low birth weight are more common and difficult in twin pregnancies. For that reason, “many physicians and public health officials consider technology’s artificial contribution to the soaring twin birth rate to be problematic.”

So the same technology behind the explosion in twin births is also being looked at to help manage IVF pregnancies.

“We do have processes in place that have significantly reduced triplets over the years and the focus now is twins. We’ve got a ways to go before we eliminate twins,” Kevin Doody, M.D., president-elect of the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART) told LifeZette.

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SART believes progress is already being made. In 1995, fertility-assisted twin births were 29 percent. Fast forward to 2014 — and that number dropped to 23.1 percent. That 6-percent drop is a situation both SART and the American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) take very seriously.

“We use the data collected to identify the ‘outliers’ with respect to low success rates and high multiple pregnancy rates, or the transfer of more embryos than guidelines allow,” said Dr. Doody. “Our goal is to assist the clinics to remediate the problem. If a clinic doesn’t want to improve, they could be expelled.”

Adashi said the ideal scenario to reduce twin birth rates is IVF with a single embryo transfer and none of the ovulation-inducing drug Clomid. “In those cases, the likelihood of twins from Clomid is eliminated and successful IVF produces only a single birth. There are cases where Clomid-assisted (pregnancy) remains medically necessary.”

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Randal Robinson, chief of the reproductive endocrinology and infertility division at University Hospital in San Antonio, Texas, explained the status of all of this.

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“(Today’s) professional women are choosing to delay child-bearing until they’re in their 30s, (and as) the rates of infertility go up, the use of assisted reproductive technology increases as well.”

Other experts noted that as women grow older, although their spontaneous conception rate goes down, when they do conceive the chances they will have twins goes up. Almost all women who sincerely want a baby are willing to take any risk.

“It’s hard to understand until you’re in the hospital with premature labor and you’re at risk of delivering your babies early,” said Dr. Robinson.

Early delivery can mean additional medical problems and health complications. Babies’ under-developed lungs, neurological issues and sometimes an increased risk of birth defects are common complications. Fortunately, medical science has made many advancements in the treatment of premature infants.