Why twins and triplets are not uncommon

If you are familiar with the number of twins gathering at annual twins’ day and twins’ events, you would be aware that twins and triplets are not scarce in the community. 

Yes, it is quite common to have twins. About one in every 100 pregnant women gives birth to twins. Especially a woman is more likely to have twins if there are twins in her family. Non-identical twins are more common. Non-identical means that the twins do not look exactly like each other. They can be a girl and a boy or two of the same sex. You get non-identical twins when a woman’s ovary releases two ova at the same time and they are both fertilized together. 

Identical twins are much less common. Identical twins look almost exactly the same as each other. They are always either both boys or both girls. You get identical twins when a fertilized ovum splits into two halves with each half containing exactly the same DNA. Siamese twins are very rare. 

You get Siamese twins when a fertilized ovum starts to separate into two halves but does not completely split. The two halves stay joined together and the babies are born attached to each other. A pregnant woman can find out if she is going to have twins when she has an ultrasound scan. 

Identical twins mostly have identical brain wave patterns, besides sharing very similar physical characteristics. Mirror twins are identical twins who have mirror characteristics. For example, while one may have a dimple on the right side, the other will have it on the left. 

The reason has not yet been found as to why the egg splits, resulting in twins. Scientists have identified it as a spontaneous and random occurrence. One of the many theories is that the egg ovulated by maternally mature women are not as flexible as it is in younger mothers. Thus when a fertilized egg begins its natural division process in creating a baby, the egg actually splits into two instead of dividing as a whole. 

No one can look forward to or avoid multiple pregnancies. As the reason is not very clear about how multiple pregnancies occur, one cannot avoid multiple pregnancies or attempt them. Choosing between whether your multiple pregnancy results in twins or triplets is also an impossible task, as it is not a planned activity. But there are some methods of increasing the chances of having a multiple pregnancy which is covered in the article ‘Multiple baby basics’.