Updates to information, copy, sources, and formatting, and new medical review.
What’s better than snuggling up with your baby bundle?
How about snuggling up with two (or more!)
bundles at the same time?
And for some women, theirchances of having multiplescould skew even higher!
But not all twins are born alike.
Some are fraternal, and others are identical.
So what’s the difference, anyway?
Here’s the scoop on the various types oftwins and multiples.
Depending on when that embryo splits, they might alsoshare the same placentaand amniotic sac.
Some twins' heads, for example, might not be shaped in exactly the same way.
Their hair might be different too.
Other traits, such as personalities and allergies, can also diverge.
Worldwide, theyre about twice as common as identical twins.
They can be opposite sexes and can look completely different from each other.
Conjoined twins
Conjoined twins are twins who are physically connected to each other.
Its possible for conjoined twins to share internal organs as well.
Sometimes its possible for surgery to separate conjoined twins.
Just as the name implies, these identical twin babies often have characteristics that mirror each other.
Theirbirthmarks, dominant hands, and other physical traits will be on the opposite sides of each other.
These types of twins would be somewhere between identical and fraternal and share about 75% of their DNA.
Theyd look more similar than traditional fraternal twins, but not exactly the same like identical twins.
Triplets occur in about 1 in every 10,000 pregnancies.
For quadruplets, the odds are 1 in 700,000.
And if youre wondering what your chances might be for conceiving quintuplets naturally, its around 1 in 60,000,000!
All these types of multiples can be identical, fraternal or a mix of both.
Your chances also increase if youve given birth to a multiple before or had previous pregnancies.
How can you tell whether your twins are identical or fraternal?
The screening is virtually 100% accurate.
A twin zygosity test compares the DNA profiles of each twin to see if they match.
It’s both exciting and chaotic all at the same time.
you’re able to always keep up your stamina with some double-duty cuddle sessions after they’re born.
