Ever since we've announced to the world that we are having twins, we have received a multitude of curious questions about how it happened. After researching and learning more about twins than we ever thought possible, we feel we have a responsibility to educate and dispel some of the myths out there. Here are some of the most common questions we have gotten:
Did you use fertility treatments?
Nope! These twins are all natural, baby.
Do twins run in your families?
We have twins on both sides of our family. However, contrary to popular belief, fraternal twins are the only type of twins that truly "run in the family." But - because fraternal twins result from the mother releasing two eggs at once, they can only be passed down on the mother's side. Twins being on the father's side actually has no bearing whatsoever!
Identical twins, on the other hand, occur completely at random, due to the splitting of one egg - and have nothing to do with genetics.
Do you know if they're identical or fraternal?
When twins share a placenta and amniotic sac, it means they are identical. When twins have separate placentas, and/or amniotic sacs, they can be either identical or fraternal. Our twins have separate sacs and separate placentas, so the only way for us to know at this point is through amniocentesis. After birth, the placentas can be analyzed to determine if they are identical or fraternal. Of course, if they turn out to be opposite sexes, then we will know for certain that they are fraternal (since identical twins are identical in every possible way, including gender).
While there may be no explaining the Hollywood twin phenomenon, there is no doubt that twins are more common today than they were even 20 years ago. Aside from fertility treatments, some of the reasons behind this include factors such as maternal age, race, and even having a diet high in folic acid. This means our twins will be in good company with all of the other twins out there!
Thursday, September 25, 2008
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1 comment:
I have a ridiculous theory on the influx on twins these days. I am beginning to wonder if the human race is evolving. Women are having more multiple births to increase population. Humans are having "litters" of children rather than the clearly less efficient single births. We (as mothers of twins) are genetically superior women.
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