Twins skipped my mom but, multiple of my cousins have had twins, my grandma did, and many others back farther. So what is my chance?
2007-02-19 00:22:32 · 12 answers · asked by Molly 1 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Pregnancy
if they are faternal(not identical) then theres a chance its a genetic tendancy which means you could have gotten the gene.
with faternal twins there is often a gene that tells the body to release more than one egg. with identical its a fluke of nature that the egg splits the way it does.
only an old wives tale that says twins skip generations.
the ovaries don't release two eggs every time, only some of the time.
2007-02-19 00:30:33 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
There are so many myths about twins out there it is mind boggling!
Twins do not skip a generation (I have no idea where that has come from but it's astonishing the nimber of people who believe this, as illogical as it sounds when you think about it - how can a woman's ovaries know what generation they have been born into - the generation that is supposed to release one egg or the generation that can supposedly release two??)
I work in an IVF clinic and have actually studied up on multiple births, and here's the drum:
1. Identical twins: occur purely by chance. They do not run in families. An identical twin having a baby has no greater chance of having twins than anyone else in the street. Fact.
2. Fraternal twins sometimes tend to run in families but it is a direct mother to daughter link. However, the biggest factors in fraternal twinning are the age of the mother, and her ethnic background - the older a women is, the more likely she is to have twins, and women from African backgrounds are the most likely to have twins followed by Hispanic women, then Middle Eastern/Indian women, Caucasian women, then finally Oriental/Asian women.
Because fraternal twins occur when two eggs are released and fertlilised in the same cycle, it's entirely due to the female partner - twins may apparently run in the male partners family but this cannot in any way, shape or form influence a fraternal twin pregnancy (ie: how can twins in a husband's family influence his wife releasing two eggs??).
However, a woman is slightly more likely to have a fraternal multiple birth if her mother gave birth to fraternal twins (whether or not she is one of those twins) or if her grandmother gave birth to twins - the link has to be direct mother to daughter to grandaughter etc. If your cousin had twins or your aunt had twins or whatever it will not make you any more likley to have twins than anyone else in the street.
Overall, however, chance plays the biggest part in multiple births. They often appear quite spontaneously. And since twins occur in about one in 80 births they are more common that a lot of people think, and of course in large families if you look hard enough and wide enough you can usually find a twin or two lurking about, which leads many people to alledge "twins run in my family!".
2007-02-19 00:52:48 · answer #2 · answered by SydneyMum101 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Sounds like you are in teh generation to get the twins, but it doesn't mean for sure. My friend had twins and neither her or her husband had twins run in their families. Its all in how the egg gets fertilized and how many times it splits ect... Twins run in both my family and my husbands family and we are the generation on both sides lined up for twins and we have 3 kids and all were single pregnancies. So you really don't know until you get that ultrasound during pregnancy. BUt yes you do have a chance.
2007-02-19 00:35:36 · answer #3 · answered by Mrs.Vick 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have twins on the way...
Twins run on my fathers side of the family, my dad was one of twins and they say it tends to skip a generation...I certainly didn't plan on twins and having had 2 girls (ages 10yrs and 1yr) I certainly didn't expect to be told I had twins this time...I have to admit I wasn't sure if i should laugh or cry at the news...I was in total shock...but a week after I found out I had grown quite fond of the idea now I wouldn't change it for anything...
2007-02-19 00:32:12 · answer #4 · answered by Anastasia 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You have an excellent chance then. Twins many times skip a generation and since your grandma had twins it would be your generation.
2007-02-19 00:25:56 · answer #5 · answered by elaeblue 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Twins run on both mine and my husband's side of the family. My OB told me it would increase my chances of having twins by about 10%.
2007-02-19 00:55:18 · answer #6 · answered by Melissa B 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I believe its the father that actually passes on the gene that makes the odds better. Thats not saying you cannot have twins. Do the twins with your cousins run on your mothers brothers (uncles)children, female cousins?
2007-02-19 00:36:21 · answer #7 · answered by gregory_usa83 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In doing my genealogy, twins are very common in my family. My grandparents had six children. Only one of these had twins and twins carried on in that family but none of the rest. So I would relax. If God wants you to have twins it's because he picked a great MOM.
2007-02-19 00:34:07 · answer #8 · answered by sally_little03 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
sure does. twins usually skip a generation. i would say your chance is good, but not guaranteed.
2007-02-19 00:26:21 · answer #9 · answered by darlin12009 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Oh yes. There is a very good chance you will have twin babies. AHHHH
2007-02-19 00:26:08 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋