MBF - Zygosity testing

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Just completed and sent off cheek swab pack to the Multiple Birth Foundation for zygosity testing on my 6 month old girl-girl twins. Anyone got any experience of the charity or the testing?

Don't have any experience, but there is a lady on the "come on in...insane" thread called MonkeyMargot who had genertic testing done on her seperate placenta twins who through the testing found out they were identical. If she doesn't post here, then pop onto that thread and I'm sure she'll help

Yes I used them for my last set of twins!!! Fast turn around and very very friendly to deal with.

When we were pregnant they said Non ID but I wasnt convinced and as the girls got older they got more alike so at 18 months we got them tested and they are indeed ID.

Currently pregnant with set number 2 and exactly the same as the girl with 2 placentas and 2 sacs so will be getting these tested too :)

Is there a reason to know if twins are identical or non-identical, or are you just interested?

The fact that you can't tell just by looking at them does make me less likely to believe people when they say that their newborn babies are so individual. To me they mostly look like babies. :)

Thanks harry. I've been impressed with them so far. I assume you weren't offered testing at your local NHS hospital? We signed up to be a part of a research programme which meant cord blood would be taken at birth and tested. By agreeing to take part we would also be given a copy of the results. After 5 months of waiting and being fobbed off, we finally got told that not enough blood had been taken at birth and they didn't have a full enough sample to do the test! That left us with the decision to either go privately or not find out at all and we decided to go privately through the MBF. I'm also curious to know why you were told they were non-id? Was it just because they were DCDA? We were told that only about 10% of DCDA twins are ID, but there was no way of knowing whether ours fell in that 10% or in the other 90% without testing.

Trillian - there's no medical reason (currently) for us to know, but we are aware things could crop up when they are older and we also want to know for them (and my other daughter) when they are older to know if they have an increased risk of having multiples themselves. Of course, being able to answer people's questions would be nice too!

There are definitely differences between them, but they are very slight - their crowns are on opposite sides of their heads for instance, and their smiles are different. My husband and I can generally tell them apart, but even at a first glance for us it's hard and they're 6 months now! Our other kids can only tell by what they are wearing as they have totally separate clothes, and no-one else has a clue! To be fair though - if we look back at photos of the other two as babies they were also amazingly alike even though one is a boy and the other is a girl!

Interestingly, my husband is convinced they are non-id, whereas I am about 80% sure they are ID!

No never got offered anything with the NHS they just told us they were NON ID and that was that and I had done reading and they still wouldnt listen until we had the paperwork in my hand saying they were indeed ID.

This time they STILL said they are non Id but Ive told them ill make my own mind up lol. I personally think they should just tell people when they are DEF ID and have paperwork for others to explain the splitting times etc etc so people will understand it more.

I got it done for me - and for the girls when they are older so we can say yes they are ID and dont look a wally when i tell them I have no idea lol

I'm thinking of getting it done but was going to wait to see if any differences (like eye colour or something) made it obvious that they aren't ID. At the 20 week scan we were told there is a 30% chance of them being ID but I'm surprised by how many midwives said they couldn't be ID because they were DCDA. It didn't take much googling to discover that DCDA isn't conclusive in itself - AIBU to expect midwives to understand the (quite basic IMO) science behind it?

Anyway an ID twin I met in Asda (her and her sister both work there - how confusing for everyone else!) said that medically it would be a good idea to find out in case one was sick etc etc.

I think they aren't anyway as they look so unalike to me. DH thinks they are. I'm just fed up of answering 'We don't THINK so' to anyone who asks if they're ID!

We had our boys tested, as the constant debate drove me mad, they are non identical and at 20 months now look totally different.

My goodness - it really is a quick turn around! Less than a week later and we have the results!!! Turns out mothers really do know best and they are indeed identical!