When you saw multiple on your ultra sound, what did you do? You are certainly getting more than you bargained for! Did you question whether you were seeing multiple or question your prescription? Having multiple babies, specifically twins, is perfectly normal! Twins are now on the rise; every one in thirty babies is a twin. This article helps simplify the science of twins for you, so you know exactly what is happening in your body or your wife’s body!
Twins are individuals who shared a womb with each other and are typically born at the same time. There are two different types of twins, identical and fraternal. A tendency for fraternal twins can run in families, whereas identical twins typically do not. Only the mother’s genes would matter for determining if the birthing of twins is genetic because she would be the one producing more than one egg.
Identical twins, or monozygotic babies, are formed when a single egg is fertilized by a single sperm and then splits into two identical halves. Once the egg is fertilized and travels down the fallopian tubes, the zygote enters the womb and splits into two. In utero, identical twins are contained in the same sac and share a placenta. Now these babies have identical DNA and have the same blood type. Identical …show more content…
When a woman has sex with a man, the sperm can last three to seven days in her vaginal tract, meaning that if a woman ovulates a few days later, she will still have a chance of getting pregnant. If she has sex with two men within a short amount of time, and multiple eggs are fertilized, she can have twins that have two separate fathers. Though these twins would be considered fraternal twins, the scientific name for them is heteropaternal superfecundation. Put simply, heteropaternal superfecundation is when two eggs from the same mother are fertilized by different