blondeviolin Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 I have seen a TON of twin pregnancies lately... We have a good friend who is pregnant with twins. No fertility treatment, it doesn't run in her family, etc. Total surprise. My pediatricians office has 4 practicing female doctors and 3 practicing male doctors. Two of the females are pregnant with twins, one of the male doctors has a wife who is pregnant...with twins. We went to the grocery store last night and the checker AND the bagger were pregnant with twins. I swore to my husband we were NOT drinking the water...then somehow I ended up pregnant anyway. I am hoping our water was the singleton-variety. My husband keeps teasing me that this is God trying to prepare me. I told him if it is, he better like the idea of snippage! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickenpatty Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 LOL, I don't know, but I'm expecting twins, too. I never thought twins would happen to me:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DianeW88 Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 The older the mother, the more likely she is to have twins. Mothers as a whole are postponing childbirth to a later age than even a generation ago. Also, the more pregnancies you have, the more likely you are to conceive twins. So if you're looking at friends having their third or fourth child...they are more likely to have multiples. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momof3littles Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 (edited) Well, overall I do think fertility treatments play a part when we're talking about the overall population. If I remember correctly, as a woman approaches 40, she's more likely to conceive twins even without fertility treatments. More women are pushing back childbearing, which can result in more twins. (eta: sorry, I crossposted with DianeW) Edited August 27, 2012 by Momof3littles clarifying first sentence Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momto2Cs Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 I just read an article on this somewhere... they said a lot of it is that women are having babies, in general, at more advanced maternal ages, and when you pass 35, your chances of twins go up a lot. Dr Weil's article and Medical News Today both address the issue of age, in addition to fertility treatments. I don't know how old your friend is, but this could be a factor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy_of_4 Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 We just lost twins about a month ago and they are on both sides of the family. We are hoping for twins again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blondeviolin Posted August 27, 2012 Author Share Posted August 27, 2012 I just read an article on this somewhere... they said a lot of it is that women are having babies, in general, at more advanced maternal ages, and when you pass 35, your chances of twins go up a lot. Dr Weil's article and Medical News Today both address the issue of age, in addition to fertility treatments. I don't know how old your friend is, but this could be a factor. She's 32. :glare: I keep telling myself these things, though. I'm young (27), very regular menstruation (outside of pregnancy and LAM), no family history of twins, etc. The only strike against me is that this will be baby 5. Still, it just seems really prevalent...or maybe it's just here in OK... :001_huh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blondeviolin Posted August 27, 2012 Author Share Posted August 27, 2012 We just lost twins about a month ago and they are on both sides of the family. We are hoping for twins again! I'm so sorry! I've experienced pregnancy loss and it is rough. I'm sure it's doubly hard having lost both. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiniBlondes Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 I was pregnant with twins last summer. Unfortunately we lost the pregnancy in the late summer. It was completely random and out of the blue. Neither of us has twins in the family. I have noticed it too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erica in OR Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 We just had twins around Christmas. However, I was somewhat prepared for the possibility, being older, and being a third generation of fraternal twins in a row myself (me, my mom, her dad). Erica in OR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DianeW88 Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 We just lost twins about a month ago and they are on both sides of the family. We are hoping for twins again! I was pregnant with twins last summer. Unfortunately we lost the pregnancy in the late summer. It was completely random and out of the blue. Neither of us has twins in the family. I have noticed it too! Yes, twins have a much higher rate of miscarriage than singleton pregnancies do (I lost mono-amniotic twins at 12 weeks...it was actually a blessing, because the complications with mono-amniotics are HUGE). You are also not really "out of danger" after 12 weeks as you are for singles. Twins also have a higher rate of complications (both before and after birth) and a MUCH higher rate of premature birth. Twins may be fun, but honestly, a single pregnancy is much healthier for both mom and baby...speaking from a medical point of view. Which is what I see as a peds nurse. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaxMom Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 The trend I've seen is twins after a loss. I had a molar pregnancy at 31, followed by twins at 33 (fraternal, no twins on either side of my family as far back as 4 generations, at the bottom of the curve for all factors - I was for the molar, as well). One of my dear friends had a devastating miscarriage. A year later, twins. Fraternal, no family history... I was talking to a member at work a few weeks ago about the challenges of parenting twins (hers are 2), and she mentioned that she had had a loss before conceiving hers (fraternal, no family history, no fertility treatment, etc). It's like some cosmic correction. Crazy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisB Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 (edited) I have seen a TON of twin pregnancies lately... We have a good friend who is pregnant with twins. No fertility treatment, it doesn't run in her family, etc. Total surprise. Same here. I was 28, had no history of twins in the family, no fertility treatment, fraternal (ETA: #2 & 3), and a total surprise. Edited August 27, 2012 by ChrisB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsBasil Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 1. Congratulations!! 2. Keep your water to yourself. 3. Prayers for your pregnancy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justLisa Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 This is very interesting. My grandmother had 10 children and one set of twins. She had another set of twins born that died withing minutes, and lost a later term pregnancy of another set. I mean at some point I think she just could not carry any longer. None of her children have any twins and most of them have at least 3 kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FourOaks Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 I have 12 year old twins -- probably identical -- NO history of twins on either side, NO fertility drugs, I was only 30, no other losses. At the time we lived in a subdivision on at the beginning of a cul-de-sac. There were 8 females of reproducing age. My friend had twins (no fertility), I then had twins 1 year later, then within the next year, two others were pregnant with twins (both fertility). Then, about 5 years later, after all of us having left that neighborhood and moved on the 5th one of us ended up having twins (no fertility). So, essentially 5 out of 8 from one small cul-de-sac area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 I do have to wonder because I know three ladies who each got pregnant with triplets without any fertility treatments. The odds of natural triplets are supposedly 1 in 8,000-10,000, so what are the chances of me knowing 3 women to whom this happened? :confused: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckabell Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 I've met a lot of moms of multiples in our current state. When my husband was in grad school and we lived in student housing we knew three families in our married housing who got pregnant with twins within 1.5 years of each other. I wonder if it could have been something in the water. Does anyone know if clomid or other fertility drugs could have stayed in the water and helped some of these moms have twins? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DianeW88 Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 Don't forget that sometimes people do not want to discuss what fertility treatments they may or may not have had, therefore when bluntly asked, "Did you have fertility treatments to conceive your multiples?", many women choose to answer "no" rather than "none of your business". :D Also, some women don't consider taking clomid to ovulate a "fertility treatment". I know more than one woman who conceived twins in this manner, but didn't think it was really a fertility treatment. They equate that with IVF, not swallowing a pill. So....there are a lot more fertility treatment twins out there than you may know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swellmomma Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 That's it I am never having more kids. 4 at home, 6 losses and currently 35. Umm no thanks. Older and many pregnancies, my luck I would end up with not only twins but with quints Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
learningmama Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 I figured there was a thread on this! I just found out about another lady pregnant with twins and am just amazed at the number of twin pregnancies I have known about the past 5 years or so. Growing up, there were only ever a few sets of twins at a time in my school, but everywhere I turn lately (2 neighbors down the street, church, facebook friends) twins are everywhere. Sets of twin boys seem to be the most popular! Advanced maternal age is not a factor in any of these either. Most people have been in their early 30's when they became pregnant. Don't know if fertility drugs have played a part. I have also read that there is a higher chance of twins once a woman comes off the pill. Or it could just be in the water? :001_huh: :confused: :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Rat Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 Hmmm... My graduating class in high school had 12 sets of twins. An unusally high number for the 80s. Now though, I only know one mom with twins. Maybe we just have singleton water here. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 When I was still teaching, I swear we had at least one twin or triplet in each class-sometimes a pair in a class, sometimes separated, and a lot of them were identicals. It was kind of like being in a Twilight Zone episode to be on the playground. I really DO wonder if there was something in the water there-a lot of us had difficulty getting pregnant or staying pregnant, but it seemed like everyone who had babies successfully had them in economy size packages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jpoy85 Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 Can I just say i wish i had a small sip of the water just for a sticky baby, not even so much twins? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katy Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 Many of the chemicals in our modern environment act as estrogens, it would be easy to assume they also encourage twins. Things I've heard have estrogenic activity- any dietary fat, any food from animal sources, soy, lavender, BPA, pesticides, herbicides, yams, carrots, and anything that encourages high blood sugar... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleIzumi Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh! Lalalala, I can't hear you.... :willy_nilly: -the pregnant lady who is measuring way off what is expected and people keep asking if she's having twins, and won't know until the end of the month Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Um_2_4 Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh! Lalalala, I can't hear you.... :willy_nilly: -the pregnant lady who is measuring way off what is expected and people keep asking if she's having twins, and won't know until the end of the month when I had my twins I measured 14 weeks off (at 14 weeks I measured 28!) and I should have know, because a: I "popped" at 8 weeks and b: was sicker than I had ever been with #1&2 COMBINED... Ultrasound showed at 10 weeks. Fraternals, only family history was on my dad's mom side??? so many said that doesn't count :confused: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lab1 Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 I know 3 couples that had twins last month! 3! 2 fit the stereotype of multiple older kids, but one couple it was their 2&3 and they are mid 20s. I have dream after dream of having twins. It's almost to the point where I want it, but then look at the chaos around me and decide I'm crazy! I'd totally fit the stereotype though. 35 next yr with 4 kids already! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 From what I've read though, the fertility treatments and the age of the mothers explain most of the rise in multiples births, BUT NOT ALL. That's the part that really freaks me out. Like, maybe it is in our water. Fluoride! Two people I grew up with and swam in the same lake with all the time ended up having twins. Hm... Here's a question for those more conversant in genetics than me though. Since part of multiples pregnancies are caused by genetics (as in, the predisposition to overovulate runs in families), is it possible that as twins beget more twins beget more twins that those genes are just more common to be carrying? Or am I not understanding that... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie Smith Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 (edited) Come up here. No twins that I know of. My Grandmother had 10 kids, which included 1 set of twins. Those kids then grew up and had kids. Some of those kids then had kids. I think coming from my grandmothers kids there has been over 50 successful pregnancies. Not a single set of twins. Oh, and no one married a twin either. I can't think of anyone I know that is a twin with the expectation of someone I knew in middle school. I can ship you some of our water, if you want it. :) ETA: Okay, I do know more than one set of twins. I also admit that I have a memory problem. :) Edited October 17, 2012 by Julie Smith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jpoy85 Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 I can ship you some of our water, if you want it. :) Thanks! ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleIzumi Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 Here's a question for those more conversant in genetics than me though. Since part of multiples pregnancies are caused by genetics (as in, the predisposition to overovulate runs in families), is it possible that as twins beget more twins beget more twins that those genes are just more common to be carrying? Or am I not understanding that... Only for fraternal twins. Identical twins are a random "act of God." We have no twins in our near bloodlines so any twins would be identical. (My dates could just be off, though. Nursing, hard to tell.) I do have a friend who just had twins, but I think twins are in the bloodline there. Bedrest and preemies; it's hard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paige Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 From what I've read though, the fertility treatments and the age of the mothers explain most of the rise in multiples births, BUT NOT ALL. That's the part that really freaks me out. Like, maybe it is in our water. Fluoride! Two people I grew up with and swam in the same lake with all the time ended up having twins. Hm... Here's a question for those more conversant in genetics than me though. Since part of multiples pregnancies are caused by genetics (as in, the predisposition to overovulate runs in families), is it possible that as twins beget more twins beget more twins that those genes are just more common to be carrying? Or am I not understanding that... That makes sense to me. I think it also could be a result of better nutrition. Healthier women may be more likely to release 2 eggs and healthier women may be more able to maintain a multiple pregnancy rather than an early m/c of one twin. Who knows how many twin pregnancies turned into singletons in the past, especially before it was common to have early ultrasounds? My twins are identical. We have a slight family history of twins of unknown zygosity, but it's distant. I had no risk factors- I was under 25, low weight, and no fertility treatments. I know lots of people with fraternals who have no known family history and no fertility treatments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 I don't know any twins really...you could hang near me. I always worried about it, more each time as age factors in. Last time it was 3rd pregnancy, over 35, and my father is a twin, has another set of twin brothers, and his mother, my maternal grandmother, is a twin. But despite measuring big I just had one baby...a big baby :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaxMom Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 (edited) Only for fraternal twins. Identical twins are a random "act of God." We have no twins in our near bloodlines so any twins would be identical. (My dates could just be off, though. Nursing, hard to tell.) I do have a friend who just had twins, but I think twins are in the bloodline there. Bedrest and preemies; it's hard. You are correct: identical twins happen at the same rate across all ethnicities, socioeconomic groups, and ages. But, just because you have no twins in your family history (and your husband's has no bearing, since his genetics can't very well cause you to throw out two eggs) does not mean any twins would have to be identical. I have no twins on either side of my family, going back at least 4 generations. My twins are fraternal. Just because there are no twins doesn't mean no one has ever popped out two eggs. They simply didn't conceive with that ovulation. ;) Eta: I also had no fertility intervention and was 32, so at about the bottom of the barrel for age related increased risk. (I also literally could not have been a lower risk of a molar pregnancy unless I was Asian, but that's what preceded twins for us, like some deranged cosmic correction.) Edited October 17, 2012 by MyCrazyHouse Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyhomemaker25 Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 when I had my twins I measured 14 weeks off (at 14 weeks I measured 28!) and I should have know, because a: I "popped" at 8 weeks and b: was sicker than I had ever been with #1&2 COMBINED...Ultrasound showed at 10 weeks. Fraternals, only family history was on my dad's mom side??? so many said that doesn't count :confused: Um... I'm 8 weeks and just popped. Really, I can't wear anything without an elastic waist band. It just started today (though things have been tight for about a week) and I was about 8 weeks on Sunday. My kids have been praying for twins. I've just been praying for a sticky baby. Dh would fall out on the floor! I go tomorrow for a scan because of past losses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Um_2_4 Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 Um... I'm 8 weeks and just popped. Really, I can't wear anything without an elastic waist band. It just started today (though things have been tight for about a week) and I was about 8 weeks on Sunday. My kids have been praying for twins. I've just been praying for a sticky baby. Dh would fall out on the floor! I go tomorrow for a scan because of past losses. I about fell of the table when she told me... so hold on..it might be a wild ride:lol: And I had to go get a pair of maternity jeans the 9th week, cuz elastic wasn't cutting it. I mean you could feel my uterus protuding and I am plus sized to begin with lol. When my MIL flew in when I was put on bedrest at 30 weeks... she almost fell on the floor shocked at how big I was. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 That makes sense to me. I think it also could be a result of better nutrition. Healthier women may be more likely to release 2 eggs and healthier women may be more able to maintain a multiple pregnancy rather than an early m/c of one twin. Who knows how many twin pregnancies turned into singletons in the past, especially before it was common to have early ultrasounds? My twins are identical. We have a slight family history of twins of unknown zygosity, but it's distant. I had no risk factors- I was under 25, low weight, and no fertility treatments. I know lots of people with fraternals who have no known family history and no fertility treatments. The nutrition I could see too. Ooh, I just found a link: http://genetics.thetech.org/ask/ask194 It says that obese women are more likely to conceive twins. Huh. But I was so... well, skinny is too generous, but I was not big at all! Um, before I had kids anyway.:glare: Anyway, to sum up, nutrition yes, genetics, no. I have a strong family history of twins appearing every other generation. My cousins and I even talked as kids about who was going to "get the twins." And then I had twins and... I'm at least somewhat sure at this point that they're identical, but we need to get testing done. So, total random occurrence for me too. I know that fraternals are the only ones that run in families, by the way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleIzumi Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 You are correct: identical twins happen at the same rate across all ethnicities, socioeconomic groups, and ages. But, just because you have no twins in your family history (and your husband's has no bearing, since his genetics can't very well cause you to throw out two eggs) does not mean any twins would have to be identical. I have no twins on either side of my family, going back at least 4 generations. My twins are fraternal. Just because there are no twins doesn't mean no one has ever popped out two eggs. They simply didn't conceive with that ovulation. ;) True. There aren't many kids, period, in my close family. No blood first cousins at all, etc. There were lots of twins way back in the frontier days of our geneology, but I don't think that counts. :lol: Um... I'm 8 weeks and just popped. Really, I can't wear anything without an elastic waist band. It just started today (though things have been tight for about a week) and I was about 8 weeks on Sunday. My kids have been praying for twins. I've just been praying for a sticky baby. Dh would fall out on the floor! I go tomorrow for a scan because of past losses. I always pop in the first tri after the first kid. So far I've only birthed singles. This time it was the actual size of my uterus that threw my homebirth midwife for a loop. :lol: So I've been sent off for a u/s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleIzumi Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 The nutrition I could see too. Ooh, I just found a link: http://genetics.thetech.org/ask/ask194 It says that obese women are more likely to conceive twins. Huh. But I was so... well, skinny is too generous, but I was not big at all! Um, before I had kids anyway.:glare: Anyway, to sum up, nutrition yes, genetics, no. I have a strong family history of twins appearing every other generation. My cousins and I even talked as kids about who was going to "get the twins." And then I had twins and... I'm at least somewhat sure at this point that they're identical, but we need to get testing done. So, total random occurrence for me too. I know that fraternals are the only ones that run in families, by the way. It's so hard to test nutritional variables in a standardized way. There are theories that many of the surges in various things are related to our Western processed diet (ADHD, autism, allergies, etc), but it's so hard to prove! I wouldn't be surprised if the diet change in recent decades is affecting fertility in various ways. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomsintheGarden Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 I have fraternal twins that were born when I was 38, and which were my 5th & 6th children, so I fit the pattern exactly. The idea of better nutrition is intriguing and something that I have thought about a lot as a gardener. There are those who believe that the food grown now is less nutritious than that grown in the past. Farming practices have depleted the soil, and the practices of the past hundred years have been concentrated on providing basic plant needs from artificial fertilizers (NPK only from WWII chemical waste, etc.). Fewer people are raising their own food, so what we get now is mostly trucked in from far away, losing nutrients. So I am not sure if our nutrition is better now or worse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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