Is it possible for us to have twins?

Question

My girlfriend is an identicle twin and my dad is a twin. We are thinking about having a baby sometime in the near future and we were wondering what the odds would be of us having twins. I've heard about twins skipping generations and stuff like that, but i wasn't sure if all that was true or not. Also, twins run in her family, but not really in mine besides my dad.

Answer 1

I'm the mother of identical twins so I hear these types of questions alot:

1. Identical twins (monozygotic) are from one egg that splits. All pregnancies have a 1 in 250 chance of being identical twins. This is not impacted by age, ethnicity, fertility drugs, or family history.

2. Fraternal twins (dizygotic) occur when the female produces two eggs in the same cycle. Some factors include fertility drugs, higher maternal age, ethnicity (for instance more common in African Americans less common in Asians), and family history.

3. Because it is up to the female to produce two eggs at once a family history of fraternal twins is only relevant on the female's side. And the history is only relevant if the twins on the female's side are fraternal.

Hope this helps!

Answer 2

I had fraternal twin boys six months ago, and boy, did we learn a lot about genetics!

Identical twins are a spontaneous thing, there's no genes related to that. Your dad being a twin really has nothing to do with you and your girlfriend having twins, as the gene for fraternal twins is passed from the mom only. We were told that twins don't always skip a generation either. And if twins run in her family, it really depends if they are fraternal or identical, and whether they were born to female or male blood relatives of hers.

Our story: my husband has fraternal twin sisters, so everyone thought that it was passed down from him. We asked all the questions, and found out that because my mom has fraternal twin cousins, it was from my side. My mom also had a twin grandfather, but that apparently has nothing to do with it. Also, if you have fertility treatments (we didn't), then your odds of having fraternal twins goes up. There's nothing you can do (that we were told) that can influence identical twins. So my sister had as much chance as I did of having fraternal twins (she had two singleton boys), and we all have basically the same chance of having identical twins.

I wouldn't worry about it too much, you get what you get really. We have a toddler as well as the twins, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Answer 3

I believe I read once in a science journal that the majority of twins are not born to A twin. I have two friends that have twins in the family. One's mother is a twin and the other friend is an identical twin. None of them have had any twins yet and my one friend has 2 kids and the other has 4 kids! I think that before you begin attempts to conceive a baby you should consider getting married first. Don't put the cart before the horse so to speak.

Answer 4

Twins usually skips a generation, and my grandmother has twins in her family, (siblings) and then my mom is not a twin and has no twin siblings, and i expect someone out of my brothers and sisters or myself will have twins--but here are some factors that contribute to twins

1)having twins on both sides of the family (more likely to have twins)
2)having more than one set of twins on one or both sides of the family
3)redheads and left-handed people are more likely to have twins or be a twin
4)also the genetic side of twins comes from their mom, so if it runs on their mom's side, prepare yourself!

Just remember what you wish for---twins are a lot of work--i used to be a nanny for newborn twins until they were a year old-this was my high school job, and i have endless energy, but they wore me out. Also any type of twin pregnancy is high risk, and also the risks increase if you are over 30, so make sure you find out early and always see your doctor and ask a lot of questions.
Good Luck!

Answer 5

Identical twins are a fluke and not an inherited trait.

Fraternal twins are a result of two eggs being ovulated by the mother. Obviously, for this reason, your genes will not affect your girlfriend's body. Any daughters you have might inherit the tendency to ovulate two eggs.

Older mothers and women taking any kind of fertility drugs are more likely to ovulate two or more eggs.

Answer 6

Yep you sure could get lucky with twins. It is true about skipping generation, it happen to me. It skipped 10 generation and I was the lucky winner. And I didn't have know clue that I had twins in the family. LOL

Answer 7

Identical twins aren't genetic. It happens when one fertilized egg splits in two and because someone has identical twins in their family (or in this case is an identical twin) doesn't mean they have more of a chance of conceiving twins. Non-identical twins are genetic but your father being a twin is irrelevant since your girlfriend doesn't have his genes. Her genes are what would cause her to ovulate twice in order to conceive fraternal (non-identical) twins. It's more likely that if you had a daughter she would conceive fraternal twins. Good luck. .

Answer 8

hey yes there totally is. i am a twin and twins so don't run in my family. My twin and I were actually the first and only pair in my family. We were a total surprise. the doctors didn't even detect my sister on the scanner and he only realized that there was another baby on the way after I was born!!

Answer 9

Having twins is genetic from the mother side. I.E. if her mother had twins her chances are MUCH higher than a woman who doesn't have twins in her family. Good luck.

Answer 10

It usually skips a generation so I'm guessing if she's a twin, she won't have twins. And I don't think your dad being a twin has any affect on whether or not you'll have twins.