Why Are Twins Babies Identical and Different?

Medical Video: In the Womb - Identical Twins

"They're twins, but how come their faces aren't similar, huh?" Surely you've thought like that when you saw twins. Twins do not mean everything is the same, there are even twin pairs that have different body shapes so that each is very easy to recognize.

There are indeed two types of twins, and for this reason there are twin pairs that are not exactly the same while others are identical.

What are the types of twins?

Different from what many might think, identical twins only occur in one in three twin pairs. More numbers, namely two-thirds of the twin pairs, are actually identical twins.

How do identical twins occur?

Identical twins (monozygotes) occur when one egg is released by the body and fertilized by one sperm. The fertilized egg then divides into two, so that there are two fetuses in one egg. Because they come from the same egg, identical twins share the same gene, so these identical twins will then have the exact same appearance and always have the same sex.

These identical twins are not affected by the age of the mother or heredity, it could happen to couples who do not have any twin descendants in their families. This is a spontaneous event and occurs randomly.

If the egg splits at the very beginning (in the first two days after the egg is fertilized by sperm), the egg will develop the placenta (chorion) and amniotic sac (amnion) separately. This is called a diamniotic diorionic twin, and 20-30% of identical twins experience this.

If the egg splits after 2 days from fertilizing the sperm, this will cause the fetus to share the placenta, but there are two separate amniotic sacs. This is called a diamniotic monochorion twin. As a result, these twins are genetically very similar.

There are also identical twins that share the same placenta and amniotic sac, but this case is very rare, only about 1% of identical twins. This happens because eggs are too late to divide. These twins are called monoamniotic monochorion twins.

How can the twin processes be identical?

Twins are not identical (dizygotic) or also commonly called fraternal twins, occur when two separate eggs are both released by the body, then both are fertilized by two sperm and then attached to the mother's womb. This causes non-identical twins to have genetics that are not all the same, so the appearance of twins is not identical there are slight differences, for example their faces are not really similar. Non-identical twins can also have different sexes.

These types of twins generally occur when there are twin breeds from the family (more likely to occur if they are from the mother's family line), or also usually occur in mothers who are pregnant in old age. Pregnant women over the age of 35 may have twins twice the age below. This happens because older mothers are more likely to release more than one egg. This twin pregnancy can also occur in mothers who consume fertility drugs to help them get pregnant quickly.

Are there signs if you are pregnant with twins?

Mothers who are pregnant with twins usually show signs of pregnancy faster. This happens because twin pregnant women have higher levels of the hormone HCG (a hormone that indicates pregnancy). Other hormones related to pregnancy, such as the hormone progesterone and estrogen, are also higher, causing physical changes when the pregnancy occurs earlier.

In twin pregnancies, pregnancy problems, such as morning sicknessshortness of breath, back pain, swollen feet, or other health problems can occur worse than a single pregnancy.

In addition, another sign if you are pregnant with twins is that your uterus will feel bigger. To be sure, you should do it ultrasound scan. On ultrasound scan, You will see whether there are two amniotic sacs or maybe there have been seen two fetuses.

If you have multiple pregnancies, you should check your pregnancy regularly with your doctor to maintain the health of your pregnancy. There may be some differences in pregnancy care that you receive if you experience multiple pregnancies because your risk of experiencing complications during pregnancy, such as high blood pressure and anemia, is higher if you have multiple pregnancies. Regular checks of pregnancy can detect pregnancy complications earlier so that they can be given better care. Also, pay attention to your nutritional intake, especially you need more folic acid and twin pregnancies.

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