twins

Identical twin gives birth to her own set of twins

When Michelle Cooke became pregnant, she could never have imagined that lightening would strike twice.  She joked with her identical twin Sarah that history could repeat itself but was astonished when doctors confirmed she was expecting twins – and that they were identical.  Identical twins is caused by the egg splitting after conception and do […]

Twin terminology – what does it all mean ?

Twin Terminology There are 3 main reference points which you may hear a lot of from now on in. They include the chorion (placenta), the amnion (the sac containing fluid in which the baby grows) and the zygosity (referring to the egg). These terms refer to whether the babies have their own amniotic sac, their […]

Mirror image/Carbon Copy Twins

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Differences in identical twins ? Although genetically identical, monozygotic twins can be different in one incredible way.  Scientists now believe that identical twins fall into one of two categories, either mirror image twins, or carbon copy twins. What are mirror image twins ? Mirror-image twins occur only in identical twins. A definitive explanation for mirror imaging […]

Why do multiples occur?

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Multiple pregnancies occur when either more than one egg is released for fertilisation, or when one egg is fertilised and subsequently splits. In identical multiples, the egg splits shortly after fertilisation (within 2 weeks). Identical triplets and higher order multiples occur when one or more of these eggs splits again.  Identicals will be of the same […]