728x90
my iParenting
From Our Sponsors
e-newsletters
Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters

new terms of use
new privacy policy
award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
Home › Articles › Multiples › Twins

Twins

The Science Behind Those Dynamic Duos

By Carma Haley Shoemaker

Pages:  1  2  3  4  

The Role of Genetics
When having twins, parents often find themselves subject to questions regarding heredity and the birth of their twins. The question that I've gotten is, 'Do twins run in the family?'" says Robin Frazier, a stay-at-home mom from Brampton, Cambridgeshire, UK. "And I always answer, 'They do now.'"

"People ask all the time if I had twins in my family background," says Lambert. "I also hear from people who tell me they have a family background of twins and that it makes them nervous about getting pregnant. My twins were the first set of living twins in my family."

So what part does heredity play in the development of twins? According to Hanson, it depends upon the type of twin. "The twins that run in families are fraternal twins," says Hanson. "As some women naturally ovulate more than one egg per month, this trait tends to run in families. However, identical twins come from the same egg and do not run in families. There is no concrete link between a genetic inheritance and identical twins, as no one knows when or why certain eggs will split to cause twins while others do not. Maybe once people understand this, parents of multiples won't have to explain their twins."

The next time you see parents walking with their twins in a stroller or cooing at them while shopping, look carefully before asking them questions. You may be able to answer your own questions by knowing what twins are, why they happen and the difference between fraternal and identical. Besides, if you have twins, you need all the spare time you can get.


Pages:  1  2  3  4  

Want to see more?

Comments

There are no comments for this article yet.Be the first to add a comment.

Post As:
Enter your comment below:
Title
Comment Text
CAPTCHA
Please note that any comments submitted become the property of Disney Family / iParenting and can be edited and posted at our discrection.