How do you give birth to twins?

Conception happens when a sperm fertilizes an egg to form an embryo. However, if there are two eggs present in the womb at the time of fertilization or the fertilized egg splits into two separate embryos, a woman can become pregnant with twins.


How does a mother give birth to twins?

To form identical or monozygotic twins, one fertilised egg (ovum) splits and develops into two babies with exactly the same genetic information. To form fraternal or dizygotic twins, two eggs (ova) are fertilised by two sperm and produce two genetically unique children.

What is the most common way to give birth to twins?

Vaginal Birth of Twins

More than half of twins will be born vaginally. The good news is that even though you have two babies, you only have to labor once. Once the cervix is open, each baby will have its own pushing stage.


Can you give birth naturally with twins?

You're more likely to have a vaginal birth if the first twin is in a head-down position. But there may be medical reasons why a vaginal birth is not recommended. If you have had a caesarean section before, for example, it's not usually recommended that you have a vaginal birth with twins.

How do I get pregnant with twins?

Clomiphene and gonadotropins are commonly used fertility drugs that can increase your chances of having twins. Clomiphene is a medication available only through prescription. In the United States, the brand names for the drug are Clomid and Serophene.


Expecting twins? Here’s what you need to know about your delivery options



What pills can I take to conceive twins?

Clomid (clomiphene), a pill taken by mouth to induce ovulation, causes twin pregnancies between 5% and 12% of the time. 1 That's fewer than one in 10 pregnancies. Your odds of conceiving triplets (or more) on Clomid is even lower: less than 1% (less than one in 100 pregnancies).

Are twins made by mother or father?

For a given pregnancy, the odds of conceiving fraternal twins are only determined by the mother's genetics, not the father's. Fraternal twins happen when two eggs are simultaneously fertilised instead of just one.

What increases chance of twins?

Factors that increase the chance of twins include: consuming high amounts of dairy foods, being over the age of 30, and conceiving while breastfeeding. Many fertility drugs including Clomid, Gonal-F, and Follistim also increase the odds of a twin pregnancy.


What causes an egg to split into twins?

The reason why the egg splits is unknown – but the main theory has been that the process happens randomly. This is unlike the process whereby non-identical twins develop as a result of two separate eggs being fertilised by two sperm – a process that runs in families, unlike “monozygotic twinning”, researchers said.

How long does it take to deliver twins?

While 40 weeks is the full gestation period of the average pregnancy, most twin pregnancies are delivered at approximately 36 weeks (range 32-38 weeks depending on the type of twin pregnancy).

What parent decides the twins?

However, for a given pregnancy, only the mother's genetics matter. Fraternal twins happen when two eggs are simultaneously fertilized instead of just one. A father's genes can't make a woman release two eggs.


How long does twin pregnancy last?

Gestation time for twins

The normal length of gestation (period of time spent developing in the womb) for a single baby is around 40 weeks. However, gestation for twins, either identical or fraternal, is usually around 38 weeks.

Are twin births fast?

Not necessarily. Labor is often shorter with multiples. If you're delivering vaginally, that means you'll get to work on the pushing part faster. It could also be longer.

How do families get twins?

There is a gene that makes a woman more likely to release two or more eggs during ovulation, and it's this gene that runs in families. Identical twins are the result of a single fertilised egg splitting, and this seems to be a random event.


What are the 3 types of twins?

Is there a third type? Traditionally, the science around twins has taught that identical and fraternal are the only two types. But a third type might exist, called polar body or half-identical twins.

Can you have twins if they don't run in your family?

Identical twins do not run in families; rather, they are random. Without DNA testing, there is no way to know if your great grand uncles or aunts were identical or not. However, twins who share close similarities are more likely to be identical rather than fraternal. Additionally, girl/boy twins are always fraternal.

Can two sperms enter the same egg?

Occasionally, two sperm are known to fertilize a single egg; this 'double fertilization' is thought to happen in about 1% of human conceptions. An embryo created this way doesn't usually survive, but a few cases are known to have made it — these children are chimaeras of cells with X and Y chromosomes.


At what stage are twins formed?

When are identical twins actually formed? Though all identical twins are formed very early in pregnancy, there is some variation in exactly how early the fertilised egg splits into two. This can happen at the two cell stage on Day 2, the early blastocyst stage on Day 4, or in the late blastocyst stage on Day 6.

Can one egg have two fathers?

It may be possible for stem cells from a male to be used to produce an egg, allowing for the child to have two biological fathers. Primordial germ cells (PGCs) are stem cells that give rise to sperm or egg cells.

Who is at higher risk for twins?

Older women generally have a higher chance of conceiving twins. A 35 year old woman is about 4 times more likely to have fraternal twins than a 15 year old! That is because they are experiencing some hormonal changes as they near menopause. This could encourage their body to release more than one egg during ovulation.


What age increases twins?

As you age, your chance of conceiving twins increases. Researchers have found that women over 35 produce more follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) than younger women, which may cause more than one egg to drop at ovulation.

What is the ideal age to have a baby?

Experts say the best time to get pregnant is between your late 20s and early 30s. This age range is associated with the best outcomes for both you and your baby. One study pinpointed the ideal age to give birth to a first child as 30.5. Your age is just one factor that should go into your decision to get pregnant.

Can twins have twins?

According to The American Society for Reproductive Medicine, women who are fraternal twins have a 1 in 60 chance of having twins, and men who are fraternal twins have a 1 in 125 chance of fathering twins. It was previously believed that identical (monozygotic) twins were random — not genetic.


Does water break with twins?

During pregnancy, the fetus—or in the case of twins, fetuses—is enclosed in the amniotic sac. As a part of the labor process, the sac will break open (known as "water breaking").

How long do twins stay in hospital after birth?

For twins, the average stay is nine to 25 days. For triplets it's 11 days to up to three months.