TWINS! What a shock

Hi All,

I'm 13wks pregnant and found out last week at my 12wk scan that I am having twins. The fact that I am pregnant was a shock 6wks ago and now there are two! WOW! The million dollar question is "are they Identical?". I get asked this every time I mention that I am having twins. LOL. I've been trying to find information on how to know if they are and I understand that you cannot tell unless you do DNA testing or the obvious different sex. Is this correct??
There's so many questions I have and my friends who have had single births aren't really able to help because the situation is so different. I really hope that you can assist me and we can support each other!!!

Congratulations again on two little bubbas.

The Id twin mums probably know more but one clue is how many placentas ... one or two

2. one sac or two or if there is a separating membrane

I know mine are not identical as IVF and we transfered 2 embryos @ 6 days - if egg splits (ID) before 3 days you can still have 2 placentas and two sacs , after 6 days they would more likely have one sac and placenta which mine don't , after this you can get conjoined twins if egg splits.

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Monozygotic or identical twins occur when a single fertilized ovum divides into two physically separate, but genetically (almost) identical embryos. The single fertilized ovum divides very early in gestation, usually within 8 days after conception. Monozygotic twins, having a very similar genetic make-up, are always the same sex, have the same blood type, and usually look very similar. However, there are exceptions and some monozygotic twins do not have EXACTLY the same genetic composition.

Dizygotic or fraternal twins arise from multiple ovulation. Normally, just a single ovum is released from an ovary each month. When more than a single ovum is released it is called multiple ovulation. If all of the ova are fertilized, genetically dissimilar twins (or higher multiples) occur. Dizygotic twins usually share no more similarities than would be expected with any siblings. They often have different gender, blood type and other characteristics.

There are several clues as to whether the twins are identical or fraternal. If they have a different gender or blood type one immediately knows that they are fraternal. At the time of delivery, the doctor can examine the placenta. The membranes that surround the babies before birth often have a characteristic pattern with identical twins. However, this method is not certain in all cases. In some cases only genetic testing can tell for sure if twins are identical.

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Join us in the discussion thread

Welcome again!

Wouldn't the sonographer will able to tell?

Congratulations! How wonderful.

Identical twins are random and do not run in the family. The mothers age does not make any difference to the occurance of ID twins. They occur due to the egg splitting after conception. They will always be the same sex. Normally there will be only one placenta. The babies can be in one sac or have separate ones.

Frateranl twins can run in families and the older the mother the more chances of these type of twins occuring (due to the result of releasing more than one egg). They can be the same sex or one of each as the will have developed from separate eggs. They will each have their own placenta although sometimes this can be hard to see by U/S if they are touching each other. The babies will be in their own separate sacs.

A well trained sonographer could be pretty accurate with deciding whether they are identical or fraternal. But it is true to say that if the babies are the same sex and it appears as if there is only one placenta (it could be two joined/touching) the only real way to know would be through DNA testing after birth.

Regardless of whether they are identical or fraternal, you have been truely blessed.

Best wishes
Debbie

Hi! Congratulation on your twin pregnancy. You are very welcome here, and hope you'll get the answer to all your questions.