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Multiple births

When do you start showing with twins? What is life with twins like? Join the conversation on our Multiple Births forum.

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Original poster

Chance of twins ...?

21 replies

ErikaMaye · 01/04/2009 19:24

Okay, so my mother is a twin, and both her parents are twins. Theres no history of twins on my boyfriends side, and it skipped a generation in my mother.

What are my chances?? I have my first scan in three weeks, but I just want to have some idea as to how many children are actually feeding off me!!! (Sorry, i get sarcastic when I'm scared.)

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

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twinmam · 01/04/2009 19:37

Depends whether or not the twins in your family are identicals or non-identicals. Your boyfriend's family history doesn't come into it: Fraternal (non-identical) twins are passed down from your mother, ie the tendency to release two eggs when ovulating. However this is also something that can be caused by a fertility surge in your late 30s/ early 40s or by fertility treatment that would cause you to release more eggs. Identicals are caused by one egg splitting and I read that this is a random thing, not something that is inherited. So, if your mum's twin is not identical twin then you do stand a chance of having twins IYSWIM although how likely it I don't know. It seems quite likely that there is a genetic chance as her parents were twins too, so they passed on the twinness. Hope you get the result you want in the scan!!

1stMrsF · 01/04/2009 21:41

twinmam is right.

It might be worth insuring against twins?

Balamorybaby · 02/04/2009 13:20

I agree with twinmam.

My mother is a non-id twin and she had 6 children (all singletons) including me. I've just had non-id twins - although I had 4 single pregnancies before these two came along.

I would enquire about twin insurance as 1stMrsF suggested.

Hope you get the result you want at the scan.

Disenchanted3 · 02/04/2009 13:22

Ooh how exciting!

When is your scan?

jollyjoanne · 02/04/2009 13:30

I wondered about this too, my mum is a non identical twin and there are twins in two sets of grandparents families, but I'm not a twin and I've just had a little girl (not twins). But may be next time round?

faeriefruitcake · 02/04/2009 13:34

Exciting!

Nobody in my family is a twin and I have produced G/B twins

Original poster

ErikaMaye · 04/04/2009 10:43

First scan in three weeks..

OP posts:

LouMacca · 04/04/2009 11:46

I have friends who have indentical girls with no twins at all in the family. I also have friends with twin parents and siblings and so far they have all had singleton babies.

1stMrsF - what do you mean insuring against twins? Never heard of that.

Good Luck! - twins are wonderful

peanutbutterkid · 04/04/2009 12:03

I only have identical twins in my family (3 sets, my brothers, my dad, my grandfather). The doctors at my first scan got very excited; they reckoned that I might have inherited the ability to be more tolerant of the double dose of pregnancy hormones. I guess a lot of pregnancies start as twins but then reduce (somehow, spontaneously) -- perhaps in some cases just because the mother can't take the hormones with 2.

Anyway, I've had 4 full term pregnancies, and not a single lot of twins among them. It turns out I get quite bad morning sickness just from singletons .

Original poster

ErikaMaye · 04/04/2009 18:09

I thought it only ran down the maternal line? Curious!!!

peanutbutterkid - thats interesting. I read somewhere that apparently bad morning sickness is a sign of twins. That may just be an old wives tale though!

Any tips for morning sickness, whilst I'm here? Can only keep down Hula Hoops and fizzy drinks right now!!!

OP posts:

twinmam · 07/04/2009 12:46

It can be inherited from your mother or father I think ie if your fraternal grandmother released two eggs when ovulating you might inherit that from her. However, if your partner had twins in the family it would make no difference to how many eggs you produced IYSWIM. It's different with identicals though as one egg just splits randomly and I think they still don't know what causes this. Although it's supposedly random there do seem to be some families where there is a high incidence of identical twins like in peanutbutterkid's family. It is all very amazing and exciting and twins are (mostly) wonderful. I felt v sick when pg with my DTs but never actually threw up thankfully. Also felt ridiculously tired, v over-emotional and had a pot belly from v early on. Think those seasickness bands can help a bit with morning sickness tho I never tried them, just took to my bed and complained. A lot. And all I could eat for several weeks was mashed potato and gravy. V weird!

LuluisgoingtobeanAunty · 07/04/2009 12:49

i am a fraternal twin, no other twins , identiacal or otherwise in either mum or dad's side of the family. i have had two singletons , my sister has had one and is pregnant with another singelton

twinmam · 07/04/2009 13:04

We only found out I had a family history of twins AFTER we had our first scan that revealed our two little mites swimming around in there. That was quite a shock, I can tell you, although we did have a weird feeling it was twins. My mum wrote to her cousin to tell her the news and she replied with 'oh yes, don't you know, our grandmother had twins but one of them died' I guess that was fairly common back then and I suppose my great-grandmother never talked about it to my Nana who was the youngest of her children whereas her older children might have remembered. So we had twins in the family and never knew about it. I think quite a high percentage of pregnancies start off as twins like PBK said. Lulu, it's really interesting to hear the experiences of someone who actually is a twin. I know no twins whatsoever (apart from baby ones!) and often wonder what it's like for my DDs and if I'm cocking up and scarring them for life when I call talk about them as 'the girls' (but never 'the twins' oddly - for some reason that feels wrong) or when we refer to them (jokingly) as This one and That one I sometimes think/ hope that what they lose out on in terms of a mummy who can't devote as much time to each of them they gain in having that special bond with their twin sister. Although at the moment that special bond consists of shoving each other out of the way and biting one another... They do also giggle together when they go to bed at night and plot to get up to no good!

Sullwah · 07/04/2009 13:53

ErikaMaye - try bananas - I had horrid morning sicknes. Bananas did not provide a cure - but they did provide some relief. I think morning sickness is related to hunger - I had it worse when I had not eaten for a while - so try eating little often and see if that helps.

Twins run in our family - both my sister and I have twins. But then IVF runs in the family too

twinmam · 08/04/2009 13:20

LOL Sullwah! And fab for you and your sis to have similar experiences I bet although you won't get that sense of superiority from coping with twins whilst everyone else in the family has 'just' a singleton A man stopped to admire my DTs in the street the other day (they are adorable MOST of the time) and said that it had taken him and his wife 4 years of IVF to conceive their now teenaged twins and that I was very very lucky to have my gorgeous daughters. Made me a bit as had spent the entire morning moaning about them and their wicked ways!

idobelieveinfairies · 16/04/2009 09:34

There are no twins that run in my family at all....and i have had 2 sets if non-ids (was triplets but 1 din't make it early on in pregnancy).

I guess multiples have to start somewhere!!

idobelieveinfairies · 16/04/2009 09:35

Let us know how you get on with your scan erikamaye

planningandtwinwondering · 21/06/2009 14:31

My sisters are fraternal twins, and there are no other twins (we searched many generations on both my mother and father's sides). Definately no other twins in the family, was this a fluke or is there a new twin gene in our family now. No history of IVF or anything. My sister had a little boy, there are no other babies yet are any of us likely to have twins? Can anyone shed some light on the situation? Thanks

curiositykilled · 30/06/2009 15:13

planningandtwinwondering - are you sure they are fraternal? This might be a really stupid question if they look v.different but people sometimes think ID twins are fraternal if they have had separate placentas in utero. ID twins can occasionally have separate placentas depending on when the egg separated.

Also - did she get pregnant straight after finishing the pill? I don't know if there's any link between increased fertility and pill withdrawal but I am pg with b/g twins with no history and is something I have been wondering about.

Chances of having random fraternal twins are increased by being a woman who is tall, well-built, has had subsequent pregnancies and concieves easily.

curiositykilled · 30/06/2009 15:17

*she - your mum... lol sorry pregnant brain

curiositykilled · 30/06/2009 15:20

*previous pregnancies, lol

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