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Asking for a friend: Any ways to increase likelihood of having twins?


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My friend wants twins (WHEW -- here would be my reaction to that news: :svengo:!), but I told her I'd put it to the Hive.

 

Anyone know of any (legit) ways to increase the odds of conceiving twins?

 

Anyone have success using these ways?

Edited by PygmyShrew
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I've heard that older women actually have a slightly higher statistically probability of having twins. Also In vitro and fertility medicine would increase the probability.

 

I can't imagine a good reason why someone would actively try to have twins. I can think of lots of not so good reasons.

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Have twins in your female line? ;) I have twins, but they're identical, so there's no known correlation to genetics in conceiving them. I was :svengo: when I found out that I was pg with twins at 19... :D

 

Yeah, I've heard that, but it doesn't explain how identical twins are 1 in 30 births on my dad's side of the family, as opposed to 1 in 100 births in the general population.:glare: There were 3 sets represented at the last family reunion I attended. Identical twins are more likely to have identical twins, as well (one of those sets was the sons of one of the members of the other set besides my sisters).

 

Probably the surest way would be in vitro and have two or three implanted. There are some fertility drugs that often cause multiple ovulations as well, increasing the odds of twins.

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Yeah, I've heard that, but it doesn't explain how identical twins are 1 in 30 births on my dad's side of the family, as opposed to 1 in 100 births in the general population.:glare: There were 3 sets represented at the last family reunion I attended. Identical twins are more likely to have identical twins, as well (one of those sets was the sons of one of the members of the other set besides my sisters).

 

Probably the surest way would be in vitro and have two or three implanted. There are some fertility drugs that often cause multiple ovulations as well, increasing the odds of twins.

 

 

yes, you're right. I did say though, that there's no KNOWN correlation to genetics. ;)

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I've heard that older women actually have a slightly higher statistically probability of having twins

 

I've heard this as well as the more pregnancies you have the more likely you are to have twins. Oh and black women have a greater chance of twins.

 

But someone tell the Duggars about the more pregnancies thing. 19 kids and 2 sets of twins. (pregnancy # 2 and 9?) I didn't know, I looked it up, really!

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go on the gravitron 5 times in a row in hopes that the fertilized egg just splits in two.

 

:glare: No?

 

I have NO idea what made me have twins-there is no woman in my family that I know of who has had them before me. What I will say is that when I got preggers with them, I was on predisone for a bulging disk so I blame it on that. When I'm feeling particularly blessed, I blame it on Dh splitting that sucker in two (though they aren't identical so I just double ovulated;) ) and he gets to spend the rest of the night with them all while I sleep.

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My recommendation is to have a near death experience so that your body will make a last ditch attempt to procreate as quickly as possibly....and voila! double ovulation :D at least I think that is how it happened with me ;)

 

I have no idea why I had twins - never expected it. I would agree with the PP about the fact that having twins is not all it's cracked up to be. Yes, it's very special and cute and all but all those rainbows and puffy clouds fly out the window when those kids are keeping you up 24/7 (or very close to it). I literally had 2 1/2 hours of broken sleep per 24 hours for the first 12 weeks of my twins' life. That's no joke - it was the hardest thing I have ever endured in my life.

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LOL, that wouldn't work. Twins only carry down from the moms side.

 

Not if her dh is a Gemini ;).

 

Going on the pill and then off will sometimes cause an over production of eggs. Ask me how I know.

 

And yes, like others have said, it's a lot less cute of an idea once they show up, lol.

 

Yikes. I couldn't imagine trying to have two babies at a time. Does she know how dangerous it is for both the babies and her?

Edited by LauraGB
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LOL, that wouldn't work. Twins only carry down from the moms side.

 

I have seen research that suggests there are families where identical twinning runs in the father's side. It was hypothesized that something in the sperm of men in those families increased the odds that a fertilized egg would split.

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Clomid...and heredity. On my mom's side are identical girls and fraternal girl/boys... plus one maternal ancestor back in the old days on the prairie had two set of twins out of her twelve kids (but only one survived from each set - no idea if they were fraternal or identical). I had the first set of fraternal boys (as far as we know).

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Is this true? I have a friend who had fraternal twins. Her dad was a fraternal twin. She always said they skipped a generation, mom or dad.

 

Yes, fraternal twins come from the mother. Nothing the dad does causes the mom to release two eggs. :D DH is also a fraternal twin, and I have fraternal twins, so we get lots of comments about this. But he had nothing to do with it, except provide one sperm each. ;) Like a pp said, identical twins may have something to do with the sperm from the father causing the egg to split.

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I would agree with the PP about the fact that having twins is not all it's cracked up to be. Yes, it's very special and cute and all but all those rainbows and puffy clouds fly out the window when those kids are keeping you up 24/7 (or very close to it). I literally had 2 1/2 hours of broken sleep per 24 hours for the first 12 weeks of my twins' life. That's no joke - it was the hardest thing I have ever endured in my life.

 

:iagree:I don't know how I survived those weeks of sleep deprivation. I have two friends currently expecting twins, and I'm glad I have BTDT. :D I don't have the heart to tell them how tough it really is at times. They'll figure it out like I did. :tongue_smilie:

 

Seriously, there is no way I would "purposely" set out to have twins. Multiple pregnancies are high risk, and complications are very serious. Having twins is hard...period. Like the pp said, it is not all "rainbows and puffy clouds".

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Have her read Barbara Luke's "When You're Expecting Twins, Triplets or Quads" so that she may change her mind. Twin pregnancies face a significantly increased risk of complications and 50% of twin pregnancies are delivered pre-term.

 

The only way I know to increase the chances of conceiving twins is to do fertility treatments (clomid, FSH, IVF, etc. etc.).

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I will say that being a twin increases birth risks for the baby(ies) and is riskier for the mother as well. So it seems irresponsible to me to take anything for the sole purpose of inducing twins.

 

:iagree: Risking the chance of one or both ending up in the NICU or having severe problems seems very selfish. Not to mention the risks to the woman.

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Is this true? I have a friend who had fraternal twins. Her dad was a fraternal twin. She always said they skipped a generation, mom or dad.[/quote

 

That means she could inherit the gene for multiple ovulations. However, marrying a man with twins in his family wouldn't increase her chance of twins, but it would increase the odds of THEIR daughters having twins one day.

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I was on clomid and got pregnant with twins but it is not something I would recommend and having twins isn't as cute and adorable as it might seem.

 

:iagree:I don't know how I survived those weeks of sleep deprivation. I have two friends currently expecting twins, and I'm glad I have BTDT. :D I don't have the heart to tell them how tough it really is at times. They'll figure it out like I did. :tongue_smilie:

 

Seriously, there is no way I would "purposely" set out to have twins. Multiple pregnancies are high risk, and complications are very serious. Having twins is hard...period. Like the pp said, it is not all "rainbows and puffy clouds".

 

Have her read Barbara Luke's "When You're Expecting Twins, Triplets or Quads" so that she may change her mind. Twin pregnancies face a significantly increased risk of complications and 50% of twin pregnancies are delivered pre-term.

 

The only way I know to increase the chances of conceiving twins is to do fertility treatments (clomid, FSH, IVF, etc. etc.).

 

I'm a mom of twins also and all of this is VERY TRUE. If you have twins, yes, they are both adorable blessings, and yes, you are happy, BUT IT'S SO STRESSFUL! Go read that 15 year itch marriage thread and notice how many people said the year their twins were born was the hardest one yet in their marriage. When you have twins, neither of you EVER gets a break. There was always always always a baby crying (and even though they're five now, one of them is usually upset about something so I still never get a break).

 

Having twins is hard! Tell your friend that.

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Is this true? I have a friend who had fraternal twins. Her dad was a fraternal twin. She always said they skipped a generation, mom or dad.[/quote

 

That means she could inherit the gene for multiple ovulations. However, marrying a man with twins in his family wouldn't increase her chance of twins, but it would increase the odds of THEIR daughters having twins one day.

 

:iagree:My MIL had two sets of fraternal twins. Unfortunately she lost the first set shortly after birth; it was back in the '50s before all the advances in obstetrics and neonatal care. She thought the second set may have started out as triplets! Both my dds know they will have a higher chance of multiple births.

 

Mary

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As a relatively new mom of twins (my girls are 10 months) it makes me sad to read the semi negative comments from moms about twins. :( My twin girlies have been the best icing on the cake that I could have ever asked for!

 

 

:iagree::iagree::iagree:Except that my twins were first, I totally agree. When I found out I was expecting twins, you could have knocked me over with a feather, but truly, they have been delightful their entire lives. We had no complications in pregnancy or birth, and were able to take them home right away, despite their tininess. (Scares me to think of it now, but then, that's all I knew, and it was just the way they were. :)) I would neither fear twins nor deliberately try to have them. For us, they have been a consistent blessing.

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As a relatively new mom of twins (my girls are 10 months) it makes me sad to read the semi negative comments from moms about twins. :( My twin girlies have been the best icing on the cake that I could have ever asked for!

 

:iagree::iagree::iagree:Except that my twins were first, I totally agree. When I found out I was expecting twins, you could have knocked me over with a feather, but truly, they have been delightful their entire lives. We had no complications in pregnancy or birth, and were able to take them home right away, despite their tininess. (Scares me to think of it now, but then, that's all I knew, and it was just the way they were. :)) I would neither fear twins nor deliberately try to have them. For us, they have been a consistent blessing.

 

I felt the same way - when I was pregnant with the twins, a mom I know online who has twins got pregnant and she shared that she desperately did not want the pregnancy to be twins. That upset me - I kind of took it personally. But then when I got pg after the twins, I felt the same exact way!

 

I'm glad that having twins was not so hard for the two of you. But that doesn't invalidate that it has been hard for many others, and that (at least for me) it continues to be hard 5 years later. My twins were normal size and not premature at all. They had no health issues. But as they got older, it turned out that they had a pretty severe speech delay that we are still dealing with and will be for several more years.

 

I think that as twin moms we hear it all the time, "Oh, I'd love to have twins!" "What can I do to have twins?" etc. Yes, twins are wonderful and special and I wouldn't send mine back for the world!! They bring so much joy. I remember once when they were babies in their stroller and we were in a museum shop. An elderly lady hadn't seen us and then she turned around and saw the babies and her face just lit up! She told them they made her day. Little things can make your whole week, like when they were toddlers and I took one across the parking lot to the van to change his diaper, and then when we came back, they hugged like they hadn't seen each other in weeks! It's fascinating to have identical twins, to see how they develop separately and together. So, yes, I can wax on about how joyful it is, but that doesn't take away the difficulty. However, I know that God gave these twins to us for our good to take care of the best we can, and that's what we'll continue doing. I wouldn't send them back; I wouldn't choose not to have them, but I will try to make sure, as one pp said, that people know that it's not all sunlight and roses and two babies smiling beatifically in their cribs.

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I felt the same way - when I was pregnant with the twins, a mom I know online who has twins got pregnant and she shared that she desperately did not want the pregnancy to be twins. That upset me - I kind of took it personally. But then when I got pg after the twins, I felt the same exact way!

 

I'm glad that having twins was not so hard for the two of you. But that doesn't invalidate that it has been hard for many others, and that (at least for me) it continues to be hard 5 years later. My twins were normal size and not premature at all. They had no health issues. But as they got older, it turned out that they had a pretty severe speech delay that we are still dealing with and will be for several more years.

 

I think that as twin moms we hear it all the time, "Oh, I'd love to have twins!" "What can I do to have twins?" etc. Yes, twins are wonderful and special and I wouldn't send mine back for the world!! They bring so much joy. I remember once when they were babies in their stroller and we were in a museum shop. An elderly lady hadn't seen us and then she turned around and saw the babies and her face just lit up! She told them they made her day. Little things can make your whole week, like when they were toddlers and I took one across the parking lot to the van to change his diaper, and then when we came back, they hugged like they hadn't seen each other in weeks! It's fascinating to have identical twins, to see how they develop separately and together. So, yes, I can wax on about how joyful it is, but that doesn't take away the difficulty. However, I know that God gave these twins to us for our good to take care of the best we can, and that's what we'll continue doing. I wouldn't send them back; I wouldn't choose not to have them, but I will try to make sure, as one pp said, that people know that it's not all sunlight and roses and two babies smiling beatifically in their cribs.

 

 

I agree, and I didn't intend to sound insensitive, as I am sure Emmy didn't either. I think that pregnancy can be hard (I hate it!); babyhood is hard, and twin babyhood doubly so, at least for several months; and as you know all too well, childhood is hard too. As I said, I would never have tried to have twins--dh and I know full well that we've truly been doubly blessed in the ease of our experience--but just as you don't want others to see it only as "sunshine and roses," I don't want others to see it as nothing but danger and work either, yk? :grouphug::grouphug: to all the mamas--twins and singletons--we're all walking a tough road.:001_smile:

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go on the gravitron 5 times in a row in hopes that the fertilized egg just splits in two.

 

:glare: No?

 

I have NO idea what made me have twins-there is no woman in my family that I know of who has had them before me. What I will say is that when I got preggers with them, I was on predisone for a bulging disk so I blame it on that. When I'm feeling particularly blessed, I blame it on Dh splitting that sucker in two (though they aren't identical so I just double ovulated;) ) and he gets to spend the rest of the night with them all while I sleep.

 

 

GUFFAW!!!:smilielol5:

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Going on the pill and then off will sometimes cause an over production of eggs. Ask me how I know.

 

And yes, like others have said, it's a lot less cute of an idea once they show up, lol.

 

Yikes. I couldn't imagine trying to have two babies at a time. Does she know how dangerous it is for both the babies and her?

 

:iagree: I could have written this exact post. I had no idea when I was younger that going on and off the pill could lead to twins, but it did.

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I will say that being a twin increases birth risks for the baby(ies) and is riskier for the mother as well. So it seems irresponsible to me to take anything for the sole purpose of inducing twins.

 

:iagree: I love that I have my twins! Yes, it was very hard in the beginning, but they have been a truly double blessing!

 

However, the prenancy was very difficult for me. Lot's of bedrest, had to have a cerclage at 17 weeks, preterm labor at 32 weeks, and after the birth I had fatty liver of pregnancy (more common w/twin pregnancies) and my liver failed. I could have died. There were other factors but I wonder if my body was not meant to carry twins. I got pregnant w/them using Clomid. So I don't think one should lightly consider trying to cause twins. I went on to have 2 more singleton pregnancies and births, both without complications whatsoever. Just thought I'd put that out there for consideration.

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Just to add a bit more, I think it's important to be realistic. There can be real consequences on the physical side. My twins were born at 33 weeks, one was in respiratory distress and on a ventilator, they were eating on a 3-hour schedule around the clock for 7 months (the sleep deprivation was my waterloo), and one is still in speech therapy at 7 y.o. Now I have six kids, and I've been through a lot of stuff, but that twin newborn period seriously kicked my behind - it went on and on and on, due to the prematurity. My kids were healthier than a lot of other kids in the NICU, but it was a really difficult and scary time. (Not to mention how lucky we were to have great insurance to cover the nearly $100K bill.)

 

And yes, my story is just one anecdote, except that it's part of the fifty percent of twins born preterm.

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Have you all noticed that having twins is rather popular with the Hollywood crowd these days? Julia Roberts, Jennifer Lopez, Angelina Jolie, Sarah Jessica Parker, Rebecca Romijn...

 

I wonder if that factors into this new popular desire to figure out how to up the chances of having twins. Just my musings.

 

I echo much of what has already been said: double work, double blessing, double risk, double reward. Nothing about it is easy or idyllic. I didn't ask for it, but am happy to have been so blessed.

 

If this were a friend of mine, unless she were genuinely having fertility issues which would lead her to do something that might - as an acceptable but unintended development - lead to multiples, I would feel very awkward about encouraging her in her attempts to try to up the ante. Just seems rather...greedy?...to me. And perhaps somewhat offensive to those around her who do have bona fide fertility issues. JMO.

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I have seen research that suggests there are families where identical twinning runs in the father's side. It was hypothesized that something in the sperm of men in those families increased the odds that a fertilized egg would split.

 

Well true BUT trying for identical twins would be thousands of times harder than trying for fraternal ones.

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Taking Clomid will increase your chances of conceiving twins.

:iagree:

It also (supposedly) increases your chances of having a girl. I got pregnant at 40 while on Clomid (both of which increase the chances of twins), and was hoping for twin girls. Instead I had a 9+ lb boy who ate, pooped, and cried enough for two. :tongue_smilie:

 

Jackie

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Is this true? I have a friend who had fraternal twins. Her dad was a fraternal twin. She always said they skipped a generation, mom or dad.[/quote

 

That means she could inherit the gene for multiple ovulations. However, marrying a man with twins in his family wouldn't increase her chance of twins, but it would increase the odds of THEIR daughters having twins one day.

 

Men can "share" the gift of identical twins.

 

Women control the gift of fraternal twins.

 

Kris

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There's actually an article about how to increase your chances of having twins... who knew!

 

http://multiples.about.com/od/funfacts/tp/howtohavetwins.htm

 

I have twin brothers (they're fraternal twins) and funnily enough, one of those brothers and my SIL then proceeded to have twins, too! So he IS a twin, and he fathered twins!

 

I have to admit, all I could think was "better him than me!" ONE newborn and ONE toddler was exhausting enough at each of those stages!

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If this were a friend of mine, unless she were genuinely having fertility issues which would lead her to do something that might - as an acceptable but unintended development - lead to multiples, I would feel very awkward about encouraging her in her attempts to try to up the ante. Just seems rather...greedy?...to me. And perhaps somewhat offensive to those around her who do have bona fide fertility issues. JMO.

 

 

You don't know what her issues are . But for someone, like us, who at one point waited 8 yrs for a baby to stick, I would have done everything I could, without unnatural intervention, to make it two when it did happen. I can easy understand. I have a hard time seeing how that would be greedy. It's hard not to let our own experiences cloud our judgements.

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You don't know what her issues are . But for someone, like us, who at one point waited 8 yrs for a baby to stick, I would have done everything I could, without unnatural intervention, to make it two when it did happen. I can easy understand. I have a hard time seeing how that would be greedy. It's hard not to let our own experiences cloud our judgements.

 

Of course you are right! I think I made it clear I was sharing my opinion. Perhaps I should have said knee jerk reaction instead!

 

I just hope the person wanting to do this has a clear idea of all that she's asking for.

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Actually I did do domething unatural too. I took Clomid. It almost drove me crazy,I felt out of control, so I quit. I was also afraid what it would do to my hormones in the long run. It was prescribed to help me concieve but I was hoping it would up my chances for twins.

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Be genetically primed for it?

 

Really, I don't believe any natural methods will help. My twins came from family history of BOTH sides of my family of identical twin GIRLS. And I have been pregnant with twins twice that I know of. My oldest started out as a twin, and then of course the younger two are twins.

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Yes, it's true. Fraternal twins are related only to the number of eggs produced, which is strictly maternal.

 

And a woman's chances of producing more than one egg in the same cycle are affected by:

 

her age (odds increase as you age, especially 35+)

number of previous pregnancies (more kids, higher chances)

a return to ovulating naturally after a time of not ovulating (after discontinuing breastfeeding or getting off the pill)

hormone supplementation/fertility treatments

 

Statistics show that identical twins occur at the same rate in families with no history of twins as in families with a previous history of twins. Fraternal twins are statistically more frequent in families that have a history of fraternal twins.

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My sisters and I have all said that we'd love to be surprised with twins (okay, me not so much with this current pregnancy, lol), but I wouldn't be able to get on board with actively TRYING to have twins.

 

Not because of the sleep, or the expense, or other "simple" (ha ha) logistics, but because of the increased risks. I worry enough about my singletons' health and count down the weeks until they have the best chances of avoiding the NICU or delivery complications, despite having few or no signs that would indicate a need to worry.

 

I've spent most of my pregnancies having to force myself to manage decent nutrition and adequate rest vs. exercise. Having to go above and beyond would be extremely difficult for *me*. And I'd feel compelled to consent to more frequent and broader screenings/testings than I ever had with singletons.

 

We three sisters still anxiously await the day that fate steps in and someone announces a twin pregnancy (so long as it isn't me, going forward!), but I think that's much different from "signing up for it", so to speak.

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