Twins are born in only 2% of all births. Moreover, twins can be double (similar to each other as ordinary close relatives) and identical (have the same appearance). In this article, you will find out what the probability of having twins is, what it depends on and whether you can increase or decrease it.
What is the likelihood of having twins?
Most often, the ability to conceive twins passes through the female line. Representatives of the stronger sex only pass this ability on to their daughters if there have been cases of the appearance of twins in their family. There are many factors that affect the likelihood of such conception of conception:
1) Genetic predisposition. When there were already twins in the family, the chance to reveal a couple of babies to the world becomes very large. But the likelihood of having twins decreases with the generation of twins that is distant in time.
2) The age of the expectant mother. In an older woman, the body produces more hormones. It is they that are an important parameter for the maturation of the egg, and with the increase in the number of hormones, the likelihood of the simultaneous release of several eggs increases.
Ladies who are 35-39 years old have real chances to give birth to a couple of babies at the same time.
3) Duration of daylight hours. This factor also affects the production of necessary hormones. The most favorable time for conceiving twins is spring, when daylight hours become longer.
4) The duration of the menstrual cycle. The greatest chance of getting twins is in those women who have a menstrual cycle that lasts no more than 21 days.
5) The likelihood of the appearance of twins also increases in women with pathologies of the development of the uterus (there are partitions in the cavity of the genital organ or the uterus is bifurcated).
6) Taking contraceptives. It also leads to a change in the production of the amount of hormones, which increases the chances of the maturation of several eggs. The chances of having a couple of babies increase if pregnancy occurs immediately after using contraceptive drugs, which have been taken for at least 6 months.
7) Artificial insemination. Very often, with this method of fertilization, twins and even triplets are born, which occurs while taking hormonal drugs.
Despite the fact that doctors have not fully studied the phenomenon of twin birth, you can still find out the chances of having twins if you turn to genetics. To do this, you will need to undergo a special examination and tell the doctor about the pedigree from the fourth generation.