How is identical twins conceived

Women who are pregnant with twins sharing a placenta need to be checked more often than women with twins with separate placentas. Frequent checks can pick up early on any potential complications.

Twins sharing an inner sac monoamniotic are also at a higher risk of complications during pregnancy because of the chance that their umbilical cords might tangle and cut off their blood supply. These twins are checked even more closely. Medical professionals often recommend that these twins are born earlier than other types of twins.

Medical professionals use ultrasound to work out how many placentas twins have. The earlier the ultrasound, the more accurately it can say how many placentas there are. It gets harder to work out later in pregnancy. After the birth, the placentas should be looked at to confirm or determine what type of twins they are.

Same-sex twins with separate placentas can be fraternal or identical. To find out whether twins are identical or fraternal, you can ask for a genetic test after your babies are born.

This is called a zygosity test. Identical twins are more likely than fraternal twins to get the same illness. If one of a pair of identical twins is diagnosed with a particular disease or health condition, like high blood pressure, the other twin should be checked often for early symptoms.

There are two types of twins — identical or monozygotic one egg , and non-identical or dizygotic two eggs twins. Other names for identical twins are non-fraternal twins, and non-identical twins are sometimes called fraternal twins. Though not all will continue to develop as they need to in order to form two babies. Most commonly, this is thought to be due to a major interruption occurring with healthy cell maturation and division.

Identical twins form when one egg has been fertilised by one sperm and the zygote splits into two. This happens at the very earliest stage of development, when the zygote is no more than a cluster of a few cells. Dividing this early in conception means that each baby has exactly the same genetic information as the other.

Identical twins can also occur when one a woman has undergone fertility assistance and has had one fertilised egg returned to her uterus. If this egg then splits into two, an identical twin pregnancy can result. Identical twins are not dependent on race, country or ethnicity. The odds of having identical twins are the same for every couple, in every pregnancy, wherever they live in the world.

Prematurity is associated with increased risk of a number of disorders, including jaundice. Giving birth to twins Childbirth can give rise to complications when just one baby is present, so twins present extra potential for difficulties. It is advised that women carrying twins give birth in hospital, rather than at home. The babies can be delivered vaginally, but caesarean section delivery may be considered a better alternative in some circumstances.

Zygosity testing It is difficult to tell if twins are identical or fraternal at birth. Some identical twins may be born with individual sets of membranes, which may lead to the mistaken assumption that the babies are fraternal. One way to tell the difference is to have the twins DNA-tested. Identical twins share the same genetic information, while fraternal twins share around half.

The test can be done with a sample of cheek cells, collected painlessly. Other tests include blood group examinations. Where to get help Your doctor Paediatrician Maternity hospital Things to remember Twins account for over 90 per cent of multiple births.

To form identical or monozygotic twins, one fertilised egg ovum splits and develops into two babies with exactly the same genetic information. To form fraternal or dizygotic twins, two eggs ova are fertilised by two sperm and produce two genetically unique children.

Your likelihood of conceiving twins or more , BabyCentre, Inc. More information here. Give feedback about this page. Was this page helpful? The chances decrease with age unlike natural twin conception , as women 38 to 40 only have a 5. And for those who are 43 and older, the rate is just 0. And consider this: Some couples may choose to transfer two embryos during IVF. Say one of those embryos splits and then all three implant in the uterus. The result would be triplets — two identical twins and one fraternal sibling.

Women carrying twins are at an increased risk of developing preeclampsia and gestational diabetes. It just means you may need to be monitored a bit more closely. But experts currently recommend younger women transfer just one embryo per IVF cycle for the best outcome.

Ovulation-enhancing drugs used alone or with IUI require a prescription and may carry some serious risks, like higher chance of ovarian hyperstimulation or ectopic pregnancy. Drugs and procedures like IVF are also costly and typically reserved for couples who have been diagnosed with infertility. For women under 35, infertility means not getting pregnant with timed intercourse in the course of a year.

And for women over 35, this timeframe shortens to 6 months. They can tell you about any associated risks unique to you and if doing a multiple-embryo transfer with IVF might be an option. There are certainly both risks and rewards with twins. But before you get too carried away with dreaming, try first looking forward to seeing double… with the lines on your pregnancy test.

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