Surprising facts about twins

Overview

There are more twin pregnancies today than ever before due to the later age of pregnancy in women, with more women getting pregnant after the age of 30, in addition to the increasing use of fertility treatments, which significantly increase the likelihood of conceiving twins. Twins may be identical or non-identical, depending on whether one fertilized egg split or multiple eggs. Twins may be girls, boys, or a boy and a girl.

Factors that increase the possibility of a multiple pregnancy

• Mother's age: The likelihood of conceiving twins increases for women in their thirties and forties due to the high level of estrogen at this age, which means that there is more stimulation for the ovaries to produce more than one egg at the same time.
• Number of previous pregnancies: The more previous pregnancies you have had, the more likely you are to have twins.
• Genetics: Twin pregnancy may be hereditary, as it has been shown that if the mother has been pregnant with twins, the probability of her daughters having twins increases significantly. The likelihood of having twins also increases for a mother who is a twin sister.
• Fertility treatments: Many fertility treatments rely on stimulating the ovaries with fertility-enhancing drugs, which results in the production of several eggs during ovulation days.
• IVF: In Vitro Fertilization depends on implanting several fertilized embryos in the woman’s uterus, to increase the likelihood of a successful pregnancy.
• Weight: Women who are overweight have been shown to have a greater chance of conceiving twins.

Types of twins

Identical twins

This is a common type of twins, with one-third of all twins in the world identical. Identical twins occur when a fertilized egg splits early when it is still a cluster of cells. Each section then develops into a fetus with the same genetic makeup. The division of a single egg fertilized by a single sperm is still a secret science that has not yet been discovered.

If we put identical twins in front of each other, the scene will be like looking in a mirror, as the right half of one twin is an exact copy of the left half of the other twin.

Non-identical fraternal twins

About two-thirds of twins are fraternal. Fraternal twins occur when two separate eggs are fertilized by separate sperm, resulting in two separate fertilized eggs. Fraternal twins can be girl twins, boy twins, or boys and girls.

Surprising facts about twins

1| The bond between twins begins early

Ultrasound images of multiple twins showed that the fetuses automatically moved closer together in the womb.

2| Twins are usually born prematurely

A multiple pregnancy is considered a high-risk pregnancy, about 60% of twin pregnancies are delivered prematurely, around the 35th week of pregnancy. Twins may spend a period in the NICCU if they are underweight and their condition needs to be monitored. So, prepare your hospital bag as early as the twenty-eighth week in case of any surprises.

3| One of the twins may disappear in the womb

Don't be surprised, but this condition is known as the disappearing twin syndrome, which occurs in about 30% of multiple pregnancies. Because one of the fetuses stops growing, the uterus absorbs the remaining tissue from the fetus while the other fetus continues to grow normally. This syndrome, which often occurs during the first trimester of pregnancy before the fetal heartbeat begins, cannot be avoided.

4| Twins have their language

About 40% of twins develop their language, imitating each other's sounds to create a language that no one else understands. This does not affect the development of their language skills in any way.

5| Raising them becomes easier with time

Although taking care of twins is a difficult task and requires double the time and effort, with time, your twin children will become best friends who love spending time together, helping and comforting each other, which reduces their complete dependence on you over time.

6| Twins' jealousy is beneficial

Having two kids of the same age in the same household means competition and jealousy are inevitable, but according to parenting experts, it's healthy competition and jealousy. Imagine what it's like to have them jealous of each other during toilet training! This competition will save you a lot of time and effort. However, avoid comparing them to each other so that jealousy does not become negative, focus on the positives and strengths of each of them, and strive to spend quality time with each one alone to enhance the growth of an independent and unique personality in each one.

7| Twins' personalities are different

Despite their genetic similarity and the fact that you will take the same steps of care and upbringing with them, this does not guarantee that their personalities will be similar. On the contrary, most twins have opposite characteristics despite receiving the same upbringing.

To sum up,

The world of twins is extraordinary. If you are expecting twins or are already a mother of twins, enjoy this journey despite the demands and double effort that fall on you. And tell us if there is something strange about twins that we did not mention in this article.