A Quick Guide On How To Have Twins
The idea of giving birth to twins tends to give people a mixture of emotions. Some people may love the chance to be parents to two beautiful babies at the same time while some couples may frown at the idea of taking care of two babies at the same time.
However, most couples would love the chance to have twins. If you and your partner would love to have twins, then you will find this quick guide on how to have twins very helpful.
Many couples who are dreaming of having twins may wonder what it takes to have twins or more. Although having twins may sometimes be an act of fate, there are ways in which you can increase your chances of having twins. However, you should keep in mind that some of these tips may not be scientifically proven but may be based on personal experiences or rooted more in tradition.
How Do Twins Happen?
If your heart desires to have twins, then it’s important to know how twins are made. First of all, you should be aware that there are two types of twins, fraternal twins and identical twins. These types of twins are formed differently.
Formation Of Fraternal Twins
Fraternal twins are formed in the same way that all normal babies are formed. The only difference is that instead of one egg being released from the ovary, two eggs are released. This means that both the two ovaries release eggs.
We, therefore, say that the formation of fraternal twins is as a result of hyperovulation. Since hormones control the process of ovulation, hyper-ovulation occurs when the hormones trigger two or more eggs to be released. Some of the factors that may have an effect on your hormones to trigger hyper-ovulation include:
- Irregular usage of birth control pills.
- Getting pregnant while you are still breastfeeding.
- Being overweight since extra fat in the body may lead to the production of the hormone oestrogen in excess.
Formation of Identical Twins
The process of the formation of identical twins may be a little bit complex. Unlike fraternal twins that involve the release of two ova, for identical twins, only one ovum is released. Once the sperm has fertilised the ovum, it then splits into two for twins or three for triplets. Scientists are still trying to find the best explanation for the splitting of the fertilised egg that grows separately to form different individuals.
How To Have Twins
Below are tips that I have put together for you that will help to increase your chances of having twins.
Gain Weight
According to the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, women with a BMI (Body Mass Index) of more than 30 are more likely to have twins than women of lower BMI. This means that the more weight you have, the higher your chances are of conceiving twins. The research further shows that taller women also have higher chances of conceiving twins than shorter women.
However, this only holds true for fraternal twins as they are affected by hormones.
Wait Until You Are Older To Have Twins
Studies have revealed that older mothers have higher chances of having twins than their younger counterparts. This is because the body is known to accelerate ovulation as you get older before you reach menopause.
However, waiting until you are older also comes with risks such as miscarriages or your baby developing chromosomal abnormalities.
Have More Twins
If you have had twins before, then it means that you have higher chances of conceiving twins again. Studies show that a woman who has had twins before is four times likely to conceive twins again than a woman who has never had twins.
Eat Yams And Dairy Products
Nigeria has the highest birth rate of twins than anywhere in the world. This is particularly among women from the Yoruba tribe. Studies have concluded that the reason behind the large numbers of twins in Nigeria is the mothers’ diets. One of the most popular diet in Nigeria are Yams, Cassava and sweet potatoes. Experts say that the peelings of these vegetables contain a chemical that is known to cause hyperovulation.
Studies have also suggested that consumption of dairy products increases a woman’s chances of conceiving twins. This is because milk products contain high levels of synthetic hormones. You can this include hormone-rich foods in your diet and see if it will work out for you.
Conceive While Breastfeeding
It’s popular with most people that conception is almost impossible for mothers who are breastfeeding. However, mothers of twins can disagree with this. Some research has come up with a theory that a woman’s chances of conceiving twins are very high if she gets pregnant while she is breastfeeding. Some studies have even gone further to claim that breastfeeding mothers were nine times more likely to have twins than women who are not lactating.
Get Pregnant On The Pill
Birth control pills are 99.9% effective in controlling pregnancy. However, pregnancy may sometimes occur when a woman doesn’t take her pills on a regular basis. Since these birth control drugs contain substances that play around with your hormones, at times this can lead to hyper-ovulation resulting into the conception of twins.
Seek Fertility Assistance
With the advancements in technology in almost all aspects of life, the strides made in reproductive technology have led to the development of drugs that can stimulate ovulation. These drugs can be used to induce hyperovulation hence increasing the chances of the conception of twins. Doctors can also implant multiple embryos in a mother’s uterus through in vitro fertilisation.
Pray That You Get Lucky
This is particularly if you want identical twins. Since scientists don’t have a clear answer as to what causes the egg to split to form identical twins, having identical twins is therefore an act of chance. Studies have failed to link the ability to conceive identical twins to genetics.
What Are The Chances Of Having Twins?
According to birth statistics all around the world, the likelihood of conceiving twins naturally are one in every eighty-nine pregnancies. The majority of twins that are always born are the fraternal ones.
Facts about fraternal twins you need to know:
Fraternal twins are formed from two separate eggs.
Fraternal twins are also known as dizygotic while identical twins are also called monozygotic. This term describes how they form since “di” means two and zygote is the egg. Therefore, the ovaries have to release two eggs at the same period in order for fraternal twins to be conceived.
Fraternal twins can be the same gender or a combination of male and female.
Since fraternal twins originate from two separate eggs, they can either be both boys, girls or one of each. Since it is the chromosomes from the father’s sperms that determine a baby’s gender, the chances of the twins being of any sex are equal. On the other hand, identical twins always have to be of the same gender since the same sperm fertilises them.
Fraternal twins may or may not look alike.
Identical twins always share almost everything from appearance to how they act since they came from the same egg. On the other hand, fraternal twins are just like any other two siblings who were born separately. They may look alike, or they may be entirely different from each other.
For fraternal twins, each baby has its own placenta.
The placenta is a vital organ during pregnancy as it provides the foetus with sustenance. For fraternal twins, two fertilised eggs are implanted in the uterus hence the development of two different placentas to sustain each foetus. Identical twins on the other hand usually share one placenta.
Fraternal twins can be conceived at different times and by different fathers.
When hyper-ovulation occurs, sometimes the release of the multiple eggs can occur in between with a few days’ interval. This can make one egg to be fertilised by sperm from another man while the other egg is fertilised by sperm a few days later from a different man. This is known as superfetation where fraternal twins have different fathers. This will happen when a woman has released more than one egg and has had sexual intercourse with more than one partner a few days apart.
Fraternal twins are influenced by inherited family genes.
Studies show that a tendency to release more than one egg during ovulation can be as a result of a genetic trait. Therefore, if you have a gene for hyper-ovulation, there are chances that you can pass it on to your daughter. What you should note is that the ability to have fraternal twins is on the mother’s side and not the father’s side.
Finalizing
Although the ability to have twins can sometimes be hereditary, there are things we can do to increase our chances of twinning. We hope that the above-discussed tips may be of help to you in your quest to have twins. Some tips may not be scientifically proven, but still, they have worked for some women. After having twins you need confinement service, you can read this guide to get the most from your confinement lady. Have a nice twinning journey!
This a video on how to have twins.
