Taller women seem to have a higher rate of having twins. If two or more are fertilized and both implant, you might just need two cribs in your nursery. Hormonal changes that happen as you near menopause may encourage the body release more than one egg during ovulation. Women of “advanced maternal age” (we’re sorry to use the phrase, but it’s commonly used in medical settings to mean over age 35) have a higher chance of conceiving twins, says the Mayo Clinic. (It can also happen once in a while in women who don’t regularly release more than one egg or have twins in their family, though.) AgeĪre you over age 35? If you’re looking to have twins, you may hit the jackpot if you’re also in your upper 30s or in your 40s. One reason for this may be hyperovulation, which is a situation where the body releases two or more eggs during ovulation - basically a requirement for having fraternal twins.Īnd hyperovulation can be passed down in your DNA - from your mom’s genes or, interestingly, your dad’s. Your chances of having fraternal twins may be higher if you’re a fraternal twin yourself or if fraternal twins run in your family. You may have heard that twins “run in families.” This is partially true. In fact, aside from age, they’re no more similar than brothers and sisters born years apart.įactors that increase your odds of having twins naturally Genetics That’s because, unlike identical twins, they don’t share the exact same DNA. Both fertilized eggs implant into the uterus and - 9 months later - two babies are born.įraternal twins can either be two boys, two girls, or a boy and girl. Fraternal twinsįraternal twins, on the other hand, result when two separate eggs are fertilized by two separate sperm cells. Why? Well, they don’t just look alike - they also share the exact same DNA.
And while it may be obvious, identical twins are always the same sex, either both boys or both girls, at birth. The chances of having identical twins is relatively rare - around 3 or 4 in every 1,000 births. Reproduction 101, right? But then, somewhere along the way, the fertilized egg divides into two, resulting in identical twins. The first involves a single egg being fertilized by a single sperm. It’s estimated that 1 in 250 pregnancies results in twins naturally, and there are two ways to conceive them.
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