Twins, especially identical ones, have always been a fascinating phenomenon. Being a part of something exclusive right from the moment of birth, and knowing you have a special bond with someone else that goes beyond the physical or emotional is something special.
Although giving birth to twins may seem like a highly uncommon event, deliveries involving twin babies happen far more often than you may think. About one in 30 deliveries in the United States involve twins. Many people love seeing twins, so much so that they go out of their way to improve their chances of having a set of their own.
Several fertility treatments, like Follistim, Gonal-F, and Clomid, have sprung up, promising to improve one’s chances of giving birth to twins. However, they only make it more likely that you’ll conceive twins; there is no 100% guarantee. Other factors that can increase your odds of birthing twins include your age, height, and family history.
Age
As women grow older, their follicle-stimulating hormone levels rise, increasing their chances of conceiving twins. This hormone is responsible for the development of eggs in the ovaries. As the increased hormone levels react with the follicles, it increases the chances of two or more eggs being released.
Weight
Women with a body mass index of over 30 are more likely to conceive twins than women with a lower BMI. This extra fat results in higher estrogen levels resulting in overstimulation of the ovaries. This increases the chances of releasing more than one egg during ovulation.
Race
Your racial group may also play a significant role in your ability to give birth to twins. For instance, African-Americans are historically more likely to give birth to twins than Caucasians, while Asians are least likely to have twins of the two. [1]
Family history
Although having twins is not genetic, fraternal twins can run in families; identical twins less so. [2]
A bundle of joy
Having twins can mean a lot of joy and happy moments growing up, but it also means extra worry for the parents, bringing up many emotions to the surface. Many moms expecting twins report worrying about not being able to care for both babies at the same time. This is an entirely natural and totally understandable feeling which passes over time.
Once your babies come, seeing them will disperse your fears, special and profound moments like the one in this video here will let you know that everything will be okay. The footage captures three-month-old twin girls catching their first good look at one another.
You can immediately see their connection, and it looks like they are already shaping up to be fast friends with their very own secret twin language. Just seeing them make faces at one each other and attempt to communicate will have you wanting why your own set of adorable twins.
Even though we don’t have a clue what they are talking about, it is calming to watch them make faces at each other and attempt to grasp each other’s dialect.
Reference:
- “What Are My Chances of Having Twins?,” Very Well Family. May 2019.
- “Twins,” The Tech. June 2014.
- Baby vide.