If you have twins, you definitely have a lot of questions and maybe some worries. We answer questions about multiples, from pregnancy and prenatal care to how having multiples is different from having one child.
How twins and multiples occur
In the UK, 1 in 80 naturally born babies is a twin or multiple. Fraternal twins are when two different eggs are fertilized by two different sperm and develop into babies. Identical twins are rare; they develop separately from the same fertilized egg.
Influencing factors
There are several factors that can increase your chances of having multiple babies. Age is an important factor. If you are in your 30s or even approaching 40, you are more likely to have twins or multiples. Because as you age, your body secretes more ovulation-stimulating hormones, which stimulate the ovaries to release multiple eggs at once.
Genetics is also an important factor. Families with twins have a higher chance of having twins, especially if the mother is a twin (but not absolutely). If your mother\’s family has a lot of twins, there\’s a good chance you may have a pair yourself. The condition of identical twins has nothing to do with family inheritance.
The mother\’s size is also a factor. A US study shows that women with a body mass index of 30 or above, or tall women who are in the top 25% of height, are more likely than other women to have fraternal twins.
Although intrauterine insemination (injecting sperm into a woman\’s uterus) does not increase the likelihood of multiple births (unless you also take infertility medications), most women who have multiple births today do so because of Some kind of infertility treatment.
If you are taking infertility medications, be prepared for multiple births. These medications stimulate your ovaries, increasing the chance of releasing multiple eggs at the same time. As many as 13% of women taking the synthetic fertility drug Clomiphene become pregnant with multiples.
Newer fertility treatment techniques, such as intracytoplasmic sperm injection and gamete intrafallopian transfer, may also increase the chance of multiple births. Like in vitro fertilization, these treatment techniques place multiple embryos into a woman\’s uterus or fallopian tubes.
The chance of having identical twins also increases after IVF treatment, but the reason for this is unclear. However, the vast majority of twins born through IVF are fraternal twins.
How are multiple pregnancies different?
If you gain a lot of weight early in your pregnancy, have an overly large uterus, or experience severe nausea and vomiting, you may be pregnant with twins. As your baby grows, you may tire easily and need frequent breaks. And you weigh more than a woman who only had one child, so you hate your bloated body.
digestive problems
If you are pregnant withWith twins, nausea and vomiting may be more intense because you have higher levels of human chorionic gonadotropin (see page 74), the progesterone hormone that triggers nausea and vomiting. In early pregnancy, high levels of progesterone can make you feel short of breath, and you may be prone to constipation or gas and bloating.
late pregnancy
Later in pregnancy, your muscles will be stretched even more, and back pain will linger because of the extra weight you\’re carrying. Women who are pregnant with twins are more likely to be anemic, so you will feel very tired. Be sure to eat foods high in iron, and take an iron supplement if your doctor recommends it.
The red flags to watch out for for multiples are the same as for singles. Still, it\’s important to be aware of unusual or disturbing symptoms when the risk of certain complications, such as miscarriage and preeclampsia, is higher. Trust your gut, and if you\’re unsure about a symptom or something doesn\’t feel right, see your doctor right away.
Get as much rest as you can, let others help you when you\’re at home, and don\’t forget to enjoy the little things in life. A lot of energy goes into pregnancy and after the baby is born, and now is the time to get into the habit of taking care of yourself.