Twins

My mom is a twin which made me wanna read about it a little more. She is actually a fraternal twin.

Fraternal twins are dizygotic, that is, they come from two different eggs, each fertilized by different sperm. That mean they share only 50% of their DNA, much like all other singleton siblings. They can be the same or opposite sexes.

What are my odds...

What other factors affect the chances that I'll have twins?

While identical twins happen by chance and occur at the same rate throughout the world, there are several factors that influence your chances of having fraternal twins:

+ Heredity:

If twins run in your family, you're more likely to have a set yourself. Your partner's family history doesn't appear to affect your odds of having twins.

+ Age:

The older you are, the higher your chances of having fraternal twins or higher multiples. Some studies indicate that this may be due to the fact that older women tend to produce higher levels of ovulation-stimulating hormones, but other studies do not support the connection.

+ Race:

Twins are more common than average in African Americans and less common in Hispanics and Asians.

+ Nutrition:

Being well nourished increases your chances of having twins and being mal-nourished decreases your chances.

+ Number of pregnancies:

The more pregnancies you've had, the greater your chances of having twins. In fact, by your fourth or fifth pregnancy, your likelihood of having twins is four times higher than it was for your first pregnancy.

+ History of twins:

Once you have a set of fraternal twins, you're twice as likely to have another set in future pregnancies.