Non Identical Twins
In general, women release one egg from one of the ovaries in the middle of each menstrual cycle from puberty to menopause, and this process is called ovulation. While many months go by without ovulation such as the months of pregnancy, ovulation may be disturbed in the first months after puberty or when the woman is older or during lactation periods, months pass without the ovary releasing a single egg, more than one egg may be released in one month, and the presence of more than one egg will lead to pregnancy with an identical twin.
How does pregnancy happen with a mismatched twin?
In certain cases, the ovaries release more than one egg and this occurs for a variety of reasons, such as aging or taking medications that induce ovulation, for example, and as is known, there are millions of sperm in ejaculation fluid and a few hundred of them have access to the fallopian tube where the eggs ready for fertilization are located.
When more than one egg is fertilized in the same month this will of course lead to the formation of more than one embryo, and these embryos are completely different as they carry different genes coming from different eggs and sperm, so that the twins are the same as any other brothers, and sometimes they may be of different sexes.
Are there unusual events when you’re pregnant with twins?
Most pregnancies end with twins giving birth to two healthy babies, but sometimes unusual events occur during fertilization or early in pregnancy with twins leading to unwanted problems, for example one embryo can succeed in its journey to the uterine cavity and implant in the inside of the uterus naturally, while the other embryo fails and stays in the fallopian tube and implanted in it, which is called immigration pregnancy. It should be noted that the immigration pregnancy must be eliminated because its continuation will threaten the mother’s safety, while in most cases the fetus in the uterus is saved.
What are the medical risks during twins’ pregnancy?
Pregnancy is not a medical condition, it is a normal period in women’s lives. In some cases, however, pregnancy is risky, requiring close monitoring of the pregnant mother and intensified visits to detect and treat any problem as early as possible, some of which are associated with the mother’s age or previous medical problem that may affect the progress and safety of the pregnancy, and twin pregnancy is one such case. A twin pregnancy greatly increases the risk of pregnancy and its problems, the mother’s blood pressure can rise and the high blood pressure may develop to cause kidney problems and affect fetal development and may sometimes cause pregnancy poisoning, a serious and life-threatening condition, as well as increased risk of high blood sugar in cases of twin pregnancies and high sugar will negatively affect the mother and fetus.
The distances within the uterus are narrow due to the presence of two embryos instead of one, which may cause the placenta to form in the lower part of the uterus or close to the cervix, and the likelihood of a twin pregnancy increases the likelihood of the placenta breaking down early and this will lead to a decrease in the amount of blood reaching the fetus and harm.
On the other hand, the uterus grows a lot and expands, which loses its natural elasticity, so the uterus is not able to constrict properly after birth and this is dangerous because it is accompanied by a heavy bleeding that may threaten the life of the mother. For the embryo, the embryos are smaller and the embryos may be born early, exposing them to many preterm problems.
What are the causes of pregnancy with a twin that is not identical?
No one knows the cause of the mismatched twins, although non-identical twins are born worldwide, they are more common in some ethnic groups, and there are some factors that increase the likelihood of them occurring:
Genetic factors: Non-identical twins are associated with heredity on the mother’s side.
• Previously twin pregnancies, as some women seem to have a tendency to release multiple eggs per cycle.
• The likelihood of pregnancy with an identical twin increases if ovulation is not regular, ovulation disorders will increase the likelihood of releasing more than one egg such as pregnancy during lactation or pregnancy at a relatively advanced age.
• The use of medications that induce ovulation, whether oral or intramuscular.
• Pregnancy occurs after infertility is treated with tube baby techniques.
What is the right time for a birth?
In general, doctors do not prefer to wait until the end of pregnancy, and are advised to give birth between 37 and 38 weeks, during which time the embryos are mature enough to be able to live outside the uterus without any problems. Although a natural delivery is possible, many doctors prefer to use caesarean section in cases of twin pregnancies.
It is important to emphasize that twin pregnancy is a high-risk pregnancy, so you should resort to experienced and competent doctors and adhere to all their recommendations and check with the doctor according to the schedule of routine visits and close pregnancy monitoring to avoid any complications and treat them as early as possible.
References:
· MedlinePlus: Is the probability of having twins determined by genetics?
· NHS: Pregnant with twins
· UTS: Why are some twins identical and some not?
· Yale SCHOOL OF MEDICINE: Twins
