Chances of having twins

People all over the world are fascinated by twins. The likelihood of having twins is increasing due to a number of factors, but how likely are YOU to have twins?

 
To start with monozygotic (identical) twins account for about one third of all sets of twins born. Dizygotic(non identical) twins account for the other two thirds and the chances of having them can be influenced by a number of factors.

If you are an older mother then you increase your chances of twins quite considerably, the chances of twins in a woman of 37 is around four times greater than the chances in an 18 year old having twins. You are also more likely to have twins if you are a twin yourself or if there is a family history of twin, especially in your immediate family. 

Fertility drugs such as clomid or fertility treatments such as IVF are one of the main reasons for the rapid increase in the number of twins being born, in fact recent studies have shown that around 25% of women who fall pregnant using fertility treatments will go on to have a twin pregnancy. (The one exception in IUI which does not increase the chances of multiples). 

There is some evidence that taking folic acid supplements during pregnancy can slightly increase the chances of having twins. A team from the Tornblad Institute in Lund looked at thebirth records from the Swedish Medical birth registry and found that of the 2,569 women who had taken folic acid supplements during pregnancy the rate of twins was 2.8 per 100 compared with a rate of 1.5 per 100 for the general population. It is possible that the supplements could increase the chances of multiple ovulation and so increase the numbers of pairs of twins born. However the link is not PROVEN and all women should take folic acid supplements during pregnancy to help prevent neural tube defects. Another factor seems to be if you are taller or bigger than average, it is claimed that if this is the case your chances of having twins can be raised by as much as 25-30%.

Finally there have been some studies which show that if you are breast feeding and fall pregnant you may be slightly more likely to conceive twins, the same is true if you have recently stopped taking the birth control pill.

 

Sources http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/1456028.stm