How to pregnant with twins
Factors, odds, and improving your chances
There are many myths about how to improve the odds of having twins. Although there are no proven ways to increase the likelihood of conceiving twins, there are certain factors that can make this type of pregnancy more likely.
Twins can occur either when two separate eggs become fertilized in the womb or when a single fertilized egg splits into two embryos.
Having twins is more common now than it was in the past. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), twin births have nearly doubled over the last 40 years.
A woman has a higher chance of having twins if she conceives with the assistance of fertility treatment or is aged 35 years or over. In the United States, fertility treatments account for more than one-third of twin pregnancies.
In this article, we explore why twin pregnancies occur, how common they are, and factors that can make them more likely. We also explain whether a person can increase their chance of having twins.
Doctors do not fully understand the reasons why twin pregnancies sometimes occur. However, some factors can increase the likelihood of giving birth to twins, including:
- the woman’s age
- having a family history of twins
- having fertility treatments
Conception happens when a sperm fertilizes an egg to form an embryo. However, if there are two eggs present in the womb at the time of fertilization or the fertilized egg splits into two separate embryos, a woman can become pregnant with twins.
There are two types of twin:
- Identical twins: This type of pregnancy happens when a fertilized egg splits into two separate embryos. These embryos are monozygotic, which means that they have identical genes. Identical twins are the same sex as each other and look very alike.
- Nonidentical, or fraternal, twins: This type of pregnancy occurs when there are two eggs present in the womb at the time of fertilization, and sperm fertilize both of them.
These embryos are dizygotic, which means that they do not have identical genes and may not be the same sex.
Fraternal twins are common after fertility treatment because healthcare professionals often place two fertilized embryos into a woman’s womb to increase the chances of a successful pregnancy.
Twins are relatively uncommon. According to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), only approximately one in 250 pregnancies results in twins.
However, the birth of twins has increased significantly alongside the rise in the use of fertility treatments and with more women choosing to have children at a later age. Since 1980, the birth rate of twins has increased by more than 75 percent.
A woman is more likely to have fraternal twins than identical twins. Identical twins account for only about one-third of multiple pregnancies.
Several factors can increase the likelihood of a woman conceiving twins. These include:
Family history
A woman has a slightly higher chance of having twins if she has a family history of twins.
A family history of twins on the mother’s side increases this likelihood more than a family history on the father’s side. However, this only applies if conception takes place without the use of fertility treatments.
According to the ASRM, women who are themselves nonidentical twins produce twins in around 1 in every 60 births. For men who are nonidentical twins, the chance of conceiving twins is only 1 in every 125 births.
Some people believe that twins can skip a generation, meaning that a person will potentially have twins if one of their grandparents did. However, there is little evidence to support this theory.
Fertility treatment
The ASRM note that the main factor that increases the chance of having twins is the use of fertility treatments. The various types of fertility treatment available increase the likelihood of twins in different ways.
Some fertility drugs work by stimulating a woman’s ovaries, which can sometimes cause them to release more than one egg.
If sperm fertilizes both of these eggs, this can result in twins.
In vitro fertilization (IVF) can also increase the chance of conceiving twins.
Healthcare professionals carry out IVF by extracting a woman’s eggs and fertilizing them with a donor’s sperm in a laboratory to produce an embryo. They then transfer the fertilized embryo into the woman’s womb.
To increase the likelihood of success, the healthcare professional may place more than one embryo into the womb. Twins can occur if both embryos implant and develop successfully.
Multiple pregnancies carry additional risks, so the healthcare professional will usually limit the number of embryos that they transfer to the woman’s womb to reduce the chance of a pregnancy with twins, triplets, or more.
Age
According to the Office on Women’s Health, women who are aged 30 years or older are more likely to conceive twins. The reason for this is that women of this age are more likely than younger women to release more than one egg during their reproductive cycle.
If sperm fertilizes two separate eggs, a twin pregnancy can occur.
Height and weight
The ASRM report that nonidentical twins are slightly more common in taller or heavier women than they are in small women. The reasons for this are not clear, but it may be due to better nutrition. Women with a higher body weight may have more resources available for a developing fetus.
Racial background
In the U.S., Hispanic women are less likely to have twins than non-Hispanic white women or black women, according to the ASRM.
Share on PinterestFertility treatments can increase the chance of having twins.
There are many unproven claims about how to increase the likelihood of conceiving twins. Some people advise following specific diets or using certain alternative therapies, but there is no scientific evidence to support these methods.
Fertility treatments, particularly IVF and ovary stimulants, do increase the chances of having twins. However, a twin pregnancy is riskier for both the woman and the developing fetuses.
For this reason, some fertility clinics advise against implanting multiple embryos during IVF treatment.
The CDC recommend that younger women who are having their first fertility treatment select just one embryo for transfer to their womb.
As the success of fertility treatment is improving, there is often less need to transfer more than one embryo. In the U.S., the number of IVF treatments involving the transfer of three or four embryos decreased significantly between 2007 and 2016. Transferring just one or two embryos reduces the likelihood of a multiple pregnancy.
A twin pregnancy increases the risk of:
- premature birth
- low birth weight
- stillbirth
- disabilities at birth and congenital health conditions, such as cerebral palsy and autism
- preeclampsia
- diabetes during pregnancy
- cesarean delivery
- needing bed rest while pregnant
Although certain factors increase the chance of having twins, there is no way to improve the odds of having twins naturally.
A woman will usually find out that she is pregnant with twins from an ultrasound early on in the pregnancy.
Some symptoms may indicate a twin pregnancy, including more intense morning sickness and very rapid weight gain. Regular medical appointments will improve the chances of a healthy pregnancy.
5 Factors that Increase the Odds of Getting Pregnant with Twins
What are the odds of having twins?
In recent years, multiple births have been on the rise. The number of twin births has increased by nearly 75 percent in the past 30 years. In the United States in 1980, only 18.9 sets of twins were born per 1,000 births. In 2018, 32.6 sets of twins were born per 1,000 births, according to a report on birth data.
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When it comes to having twins, not all regions are equal. Central Africa has the highest twin birth rate, while Asia and Latin America have much lower rates of twin births, according to an international study.
How twin conception happens
If you want to understand your chances of getting pregnant with twins, it’s important to know how they are conceived.
There are two different types of twins:
- Identical: Identical twins occur when one egg is fertilized by one sperm. The egg then divides into two separate embryos. Identical twins might share a placenta and an amniotic sac, or they might share a placenta and each have separate amniotic sacs. Genetically, the two babies are identical.
- Non-identical: Non-identical, or fraternal, twins occur when two separate eggs are fertilized by two separate sperm. Non-identical twins have their own placenta and their own unique genetic composition.
Factors that influence your chances of getting pregnant with twins
The following are a few of the factors behind twin birth:
Family history
If twins run in your family, then you have a greater chance of carrying twins.
Your partner’s family tree might be bursting with twins, but this won’t increase your odds much.
Having twins doesn’t “skip generations,” so if your mom had twins, you might have higher chances, too!
Ethnicity
Ethnicity is another factor that can influence the chances of carrying two babies. Black people are more likely than Caucasian people to give birth to twins. Asian and Hispanic people are even less likely to become pregnant with two or more kids at a time.
Several pregnancies
Your odds of having twins go up with each pregnancy.
Age
Being older can also contribute to twin birth. Studies have shown that people who are over 35 have a higher chance of getting pregnant with non-identical twins.
This is possibly because after the age of 35, the ovaries release more than one egg per month more often. Studies show that you produce more follicle-stimulating hormone when you’re over 35 than when you’re younger. This may cause more than one egg to be released during ovulation, which would increase the likelihood of having non-identical twins.
Body composition
Some researchers claim that people with a higher body mass index (BMI) have higher chances of carrying twins. People with a BMI greater than 30 before conception are more likely to give birth to non-identical twins. Health care providers don’t recommend gaining weight in order to have twins.
Studies have also shown that for people who are 5 feet 4.5 inches (164 centimeters) or taller, the relative odds of having twins is 1.5–2 times higher than for those under 5 feet 1 inch (155 cm).
What can influence your chances of getting pregnant with twins?
Assisted reproduction
Taking fertility medication is one of the most common ways to get pregnant with twins. They increase fertility by stimulating egg production. If more eggs are produced, the chances that more than one egg will be released during ovulation also increase.
Among the common ways to get pregnant with twins is through fertility treatment such as in-vitro fertilization (IVF).
During the IVF process, the specialist extracts eggs and retrieves a sperm sample. These are manually combined in a laboratory. The resulting embryo is then transferred to the uterus. Sometimes more than one embryo is transferred, which may result in twin birth.
The takeaway
Certainly, there are many myths about getting pregnant with twins. For example, the idea that having twins skips a generation is simply not true. There’s also speculation that alternative therapies can increase chances, but there’s not enough evidence to support any of these claims.
Although you have higher odds of conceiving twins if you use assisted reproductive technology, there are also many people who get pregnant with twins naturally.
Having twins may seem desirable to many couples; however, it’s best to simply aim for a healthy baby. Always consult with your health care provider and follow their recommendations and tips for a healthy pregnancy, regardless of how many babies you’re carrying.
How to conceive twins naturally: table, folk remedies
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- Factors affecting the possibility of having twins
- How to Increase Your Chances of Conceiving Twins Naturally
Contents:
One child is enough for someone, and someone just dreams of having two in the family at once.
To answer the question of how to conceive twins or twins, you need to understand the mechanism of these phenomena. The difference between twins and twins is simple: identical twins, similar to each other, like two drops of water, are children born from one fertilized egg, which divides into two after fertilization, and twins appear with the simultaneous fertilization of two eggs at once, while children may be of different sexes and not at all similar to each other. It should be noted that nature has a mechanism that levels the birth of twins, since it is more difficult to endure and grow it.
But there are various factors that contribute to the simultaneous maturation of two eggs, due to which the conception of twins occurs. It is impossible to plan the pregnancy of identical twins, just as it is impossible to give an absolute guarantee of the conception of twins, but it is quite possible to provoke the simultaneous maturation of two eggs. nine0003
Factors affecting the possibility of having twins:
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heredity - the probability of conceiving twins is higher in those women in whose family there have already been multiple pregnancies;
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overweight - it is noted that twins are more often born precisely in obese women;
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age over 30 - the body can provoke the maturation of several follicles at once to increase the likelihood of conception; nine0003
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the onset of pregnancy during lactation increases the possibility of conceiving twins;
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with each subsequent pregnancy, the chances of having twins increase;
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mother's ethnicity - not at all puzzled over how to conceive twins, African women give birth to several children at once much more often than everyone else.
But the least likely multiple pregnancy occurs in Asian women. nine0003
What factors influence the conception of a boy or a girl, read also in our articles.
How to Increase Your Chances of Having Twins Naturally
First of all, you should consult with your doctor, perhaps he will advise what to do to conceive twins. It is better to prepare for this conversation: bring medical records (yours and your partner), find out in advance what diseases relatives on both sides suffer from and whether there were multiple pregnancies in the female line. nine0003
You may be lucky and your doctor will be able to give you a magic table on how to conceive twins, or teach you how to conceive twins by ovulation.
Among the medical methods that a doctor can also advise is treatment with drugs that include follicle-stimulating hormone, as a result of which two eggs can mature at the same time. Moreover, after the abolition of hormonal contraceptives, the so-called rebound effect is observed, when both ovaries are put into operation at once and twins can be conceived.
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Also, do not forget about artificial insemination, when two or three fertilized eggs are implanted in a woman at once.
There are folk ways to conceive twins. First of all, the recommendations relate to nutrition designed to promote the maturation of more follicles. You will have to lean on dairy products, chicken eggs, whole grains, walnuts, pumpkin, bananas, carrots, red fish, liver. Try to find a product such as yams, which contain a set of substances that stimulate the ovaries. The largest number of twins is born in the Igbo city of Orana in southwestern Nigeria, for which it is even called the "Land of the Twins". The main food of the population there is yams. nine0003
A prerequisite to conceive twins is to give up alcohol and smoking.
To activate the work of the ovaries, you can start taking folic acid daily a few months before the planned conception, after consulting with your doctor.
It has been established that most twins are born in July, and least of all in the first month of winter.
This may be due to the length of daylight hours, which affects the release of follicle-stimulating hormone. Therefore, conception is best planned for the fall. nine0003
Climate can also indirectly affect - long daylight hours, high humidity, solar activity activate the ovaries. Therefore, you can plan a month-long vacation to a suitable place to increase your chances.
An interesting established fact is that twins are born four times more often in women who are already mothers of twins. Therefore, it is worth giving birth to twins only once, as the next time it will be easier to adjust.
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How to get pregnant with twins or twins naturally
Published:
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Many parents dream of having twins or twins, but multiple pregnancies rarely happen naturally.
However, there are factors that increase the chances of getting pregnant with twins. What affects the conception of twins and how to increase the likelihood of having twins, explained Tracey S. Johnson, MD, and Dan Brennan, MD.
We have launched a newsletter for pregnant women. Subscribe to receive regular information relevant to your term. nine0003
Multiple Pregnancy Factors
It is estimated that 1 in 250 pregnancies results in a natural birth of twins, reports Ashley Marchin. This can happen like this:
- One sperm fertilizes one egg, but on the way to the uterus, the fertilized egg splits into two, resulting in identical twins.
- Two separate eggs are fertilized by two sperm and implanted in the uterus. This is how fraternal twins are obtained, two children with different DNA. nine0008
What affects twin pregnancy? Factors affecting multiple pregnancy are listed by the author of articles on women's health Rachel Gurevich:
- Family history.
The birth of fraternal twins on the maternal side indicates a higher chance of ovulating more than one egg per cycle. - Weight. Higher weight people are more likely to conceive twins than lighter weight people. Excess fat usually leads to increased estrogen levels, and higher estrogen levels can lead to overstimulation of the ovaries. nine0008
- Rost. People who are taller than average are more likely to have twins.
- Nutrition. The specific foods you eat or don't eat affect your chances of having twins. Although research is still ongoing, there is evidence that dairy products increase the chances of getting pregnant with twins.
- Breastfeeding. Women who become pregnant while breastfeeding are more likely to have twins than those who are not breastfeeding. At the same time, breastfeeding can suppress fertility and prevent pregnancy. nine0008
- Ethnicity. According to Healthline, African-American women have the highest chance of conceiving twins, while Asian women have the lowest chance.
When is it possible to get pregnant with twins? As Tracey S. Johnson, MD, writes, the chances of getting pregnant with twins naturally increase in your 30s and 40s. This is because follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels increase with age. FSH is responsible for the development of eggs in the ovaries before they are released. nine0003
As people age, they need higher levels of FSH because their eggs need more stimulation to grow than before. Sometimes the follicles overreact to the higher FSH levels and two or more eggs are released and fertilized, resulting in multiple pregnancies.
Pregnant woman in red dress holding baby shoes: Pexels / Andre FurtadoWays to get pregnant with twins or twins
How to get pregnant with twins? There are a number of unproven recommendations on how to increase the likelihood of conceiving twins. However, no method is guaranteed. How to Increase Your Chances of Having Multiple Pregnancies, Dan Brennan, M.D. Explained:
- Plan pregnancy after 30 years.
- Find a partner with a family history of twins.
- Gain weight if it is underweight or normal.
- Plan to conceive while breastfeeding.
- Eat more dairy products.
- Use assisted reproductive technology.
Following any of these tips will increase your chances of having twins, but remember that twin pregnancy has its risks. Multiple pregnancies are more susceptible to perinatal morbidity and mortality. In addition, premature birth is likely. This does not mean that you cannot give birth to healthy twins on your own, but in this case, more attention and care will definitely be needed. Special diet therapy will be mandatory, writes Barbara Luke. nine0003
What are the folk remedies for getting pregnant with twins? Folk remedies are to stimulate ovulation with the help of herbs and herbal preparations. Sage, aloe, plantain contain analogues of hormones that affect the maturation of the follicle. The use of herbs may increase the chances of two eggs maturing at the same time, but this does not guarantee the result.
In addition, when planning a pregnancy, the use of herbal remedies should be discussed with a doctor so as not to harm the body. nine0003
The father-to-be can help prepare for the conception of twins. As Brunilda Nazario, MD, writes, a man should maintain a normal weight, avoid alcohol, smoking and stress. Zinc (meat, seafood, whole grains), selenium (mushrooms, cereals, nuts) and vitamin E (butter, avocado, liver) must be added to the diet. This will increase the number of active, fertile spermatozoa.
Vegetable and salmon salad: FreepikTwins and twins are born quite rarely, but many women have a chance of getting pregnant with twins. This is influenced by family history, height and weight, nutrition and other factors. There are no ways that guarantee the conception of twins, but pregnancy after 30, being overweight, and eating dairy products increase the chances. nine0003
Attention! The material is for informational purposes only. You should not resort to the methods of treatment described in it without first consulting a doctor.
