Twin Pregnancy
A woman obviously
experiences joy during pregnancy because she shall be giving birth to a new
life. She feels even more pleased if she knows that she shall give birth to
twins.
If she is carrying
more than one or two foetus in a single pregnancy, she would give birth to
twins. When she is carrying more than two foetus in a single pregnancy it is
said to be multiple birth. The process of giving birth to twins, triplets, or
multiple offspring is very common among animals.
There are two types
of twin pregnancies:
a. fraternal
dizygotic or identical i.e. monozygotic. When the twins resemble each other
they are known as identical twins and if they do not resemble they are known as
fraternal or dizygotic. When one egg is fertilized and the zygote splits in
more than two embryos, then identical twins arise. The identical twins have the
same genetic elements. Fraternal twins arise when two eggs are released from
the process of fertilization. The fraternal twins are not genetically
identical. In such cases, usually one twin borrows the genetic characteristic
of the mother and the other twin borrows characteristics from the father. In
cases of multiple pregnancy, a combination of fraternal twins and identical
twins shall arise.
There is also a third
type of twin pregnancy.
An ovum splits into
two identical cells and this process takes place before fertilization. After
splitting of the ovum, they get fertilized by the sperm. Hence, they borrow the
identical genes from their mother and the genetic material from their father.
Apart from twin
pregnancy, we hear cases about multiple births also.
The rate of twin
pregnancy is rising today. Many woman become pregnant today after completing 30
years. Due to the ageing problems, hormonal changes take place in the body and
more than one egg shall release at a time. Specially, because of this factor,
there are many cases of fraternal or non-identical twins.
Pregnancy cases for
multiples are even more rising.
Some women adopt the
modern technologies of vitro fertilization because as the woman grows older the
fertilization decreases. In this way they develop one or more foetus.
In case of identical
twins, the egg splits and forms two fetuses. Hence identical twins occur.
Identical twins share one placenta but will share a separate amniotic sac.
Identical twins look exactly the same and are not easy to identify. Identical
twins are always belong to the same sex.
Diagnoses of twin pregnancies.
Twin pregnancy can be
diagnosed very early before delivery. The size of the uterus becomes even more
larger when compared to twin pregnancy and occurrence of more than one fetal
heartbeat takes place. Even blood tests help in identifying the twin
pregnancies or multiple pregnancies.
The technique of
ultrasound is useful in confirming a twin pregnancy. When this test is
conducted, the images of your babies can be created.
When a woman is
carrying more than one fetus, she faces the problems of nausea, vomiting,
heartburn or fatigue more than the woman who is pregnant only for one baby.
A woman must
constantly have a check-up with her doctor to know about the development of her
baby. Medical experts suggest that a woman should ideally visit the doctor at
least once in two weeks during the second trimester. During the third trimester
she must visit at least once.
A woman should have
sufficient nutrients to feed the two fetuses in the body. the most essential
requirements for her are folic acid, protein calcium and iron. She must consume
very wholesome food so that the development of both fetuses is normal. Almost
daily she should consume vitamins. She must consult her heath care provider for
her iron supplement.
You must gain weight
appropriately. After the process of childbirth, she should be able to shed
weight. Experts suggest that the right amount of weight gained by woman is 35
to 45 pounds. Ideally she should gain 2700 calories a day. If you want to know
more tips about weight gain, ask for your family healthcare provider.
You must take utmost
care of yourself as the pregnancy progresses. The three areas which a woman
should mainly focus are work, travel and exercise. Regarding these issues she
must take consultation from the doctor.
Identical twins do
not always look same.
One twin may become
left-handed while the other twin may become right handed.
In 1980, the rate of
twin pregnancies had increased. It was almost double compared to he previous
years. Today, the rate of twin pregnancies or multiple pregnancies is almost five
times compared to the normal pregnancies. Since new infertility treatments are
introduced in the market, most of the woman carry more than one fetus.
There are many
factors that determine twin pregnancy:
Usually woman who
have completed the age of 30 years experience twin pregnancy. If the woman
surpasses 40 years, she usually gives birth to fraternal twins.
Usually the African
woman experience twin pregnancy.
Race factor also
determines twin pregnancy. African woman between the age of 35 to 45 years are
most likely to give birth to twins. Asian woman usually do not carry more than
one fetus.
If you have delivered
fraternal twins earlier, then you will most probably carry more than one fetus
again.
Even your family
history determines the chances of twin pregnancy.
The risks like
miscarriage, premature birth, gestational diabetes, placenta abruption for twin
pregnancy or multiple pregnancy is even higher.
Today the rate of
twin pregnancy has increased very drastically. It has almost increased by 59%
when compared to the rate of 25 years back. Most of the woman experience double
joy when they know that they are carrying two fetuses.
A woman should take
care of the issues such as morning sickness, extreme fatigue, elevated HCG
levels etc which she shall most probably face.
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