Splitting of the embryo may occur at any time during the first 2 weeks after fertilization, resulting in several forms of monozygotic twins.
Blastocyst stage (days 4–8) division results in monochorionic-diamniotic twins. Division at the 8–12-day stage results in monochorionic-monoamniotic twins, and division after day 12 leads to conjoined twins [1, 2].
Can an embryo split after 6 weeks? What about having twins happen after your first-trimester scan? It's very unlikely, as most twin embryos split within the first 2 weeks of fertilization.
36 weeks pregnant with twins. This week you're 36 weeks pregnant with twins, and over half of twin pregnancies deliver before 37 weeks. Symptoms during this time in pregnancy include insomnia and fatigue, muscle cramps, the feeling of the babies “dropping,” and possibly losing your mucus plug.
About one-third of identical twins split soon after fertilisation and form completely separate twins. Like fraternal twins, these twins have separate placentas. The other two-thirds split after they attach to the wall of the womb.
In humans, twins can result either from the ovulation and fertilization of two oocytes with the outcome of dizygotic twins (DZT) or from the splitting of a single embryo at some stage of its early development, resulting in monozygotic twins (MZT).
A twin pregnancy can often be detected in your first trimester by an ultrasound at 6 weeks or later.
Extreme tiredness
While it's normal to feel tired when you're pregnant, women carrying twins are more likely to experience extreme tiredness or exhaustion as they adapt to being pregnant with two growing babies, and your body has to adjust to increased energy requirements.
The fact that they saw two heartbeats makes it much less likely that you will lose one of the babies. Generally speaking, once a strong heartbeat has been identified, the chance for miscarriage is less than 2 percent.
Extreme fatigue is the most commonly reported symptom in a twin pregnancy. Sleepiness, lethargy, and exhaustion, while experienced in singletons also - can be more pronounced in a twin pregnancy. So, if you feel like just lying down and your eyes aren't opening even after a good nap, it just might be a sign!
The most accurate way to tell if twins are identical is through a DNA test. This can only be done after your babies are born. The placenta could also provide clues. If your first ultrasound scan is done before 14 weeks, it should be possible to tell accurately what kind of placenta your twins have.
This occurs because the fertilised egg divides in two while it is still a tiny collection of cells. The self-contained halves then develop into two babies, with exactly the same genetic information. Twins conceived from one egg and one sperm are called identical or 'monozygotic' (one-cell) twins.
Multiples are generally born only a few minutes apart. If delivered by cesarian section, the interval between births is usually only a minute, maybe two. The interval is generally longer for vaginal deliveries, ranging from a few minutes to more than an hour.
Identical twins are almost always the same sex, although there are some rare exceptions to this rule. Because identical twins occur when a single fertilized egg splits and forms two embryos, each embryo has the same chromosomes (usually, XX for girls or XY for boys).
In pregnancies with one placenta and two amniotic sacs, you will definitely have identical twins. Additionally, when your babies share a placenta, there is a greater risk for complications, such as twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome.
With distinctive features—eye color, hair color, facial features, body size, or head shape—fraternal twins are usually pretty easy to tell apart. For boy/girl twins, that only requires a quick check of the diaper area to confirm. On the other hand, monozygotic twins aren't called identical twins without reason.
If a miscarriage happens after the first trimester of pregnancy, it may be the result of things like an underlying health condition in the mother. These late miscarriages may also be caused by an infection around the baby, which leads to the bag of waters breaking before any pain or bleeding.
According to one study, once a pregnancy gets past 6/7 weeks and has a heartbeat, the risk of having a miscarriage drops to around 10%.
The risk of miscarriage drops significantly as pregnancy progresses. In one study, researchers found a miscarriage rate of 9.4 percent at 6 weeks of pregnancy, 4.2 percent at 7 weeks, 1.5 percent at 8 weeks, 0.5 percent at 9 weeks and 0.7 percent at 10 weeks.
Drink Alcohol, Use Drugs, or Smoke. It's never advisable to drink alcohol excessively, smoke, or take drugs, whether you are pregnant or not. When you are pregnant, doing so exposes your unborn babies to toxic substances, raising their risk of birth defects and chronic illnesses.
Some doctors will prescribe a level of bedrest to women pregnant with multiples after 24 weeks to help control the risks surrounding preterm labour, whilst others will take a wait and see approach and only prescribe the bedrest once there are reasons behind it.
Sleeping positions
The best position for sleeping in twin pregnancy is on your side as it helps in increasing blood flow to your heart, which is essential for your little ones.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), for example, recommends delivery between 34 and 37 weeks for twins with a shared placenta and at 38 weeks for twins with separate placentas. Some other physician groups recommend delivery closer to 39 weeks with separate placentas.
Home pregnancy test positive earlier than “normal”
If you get a positive test, especially a really dark positive, days before your period is even due, that may be one of the early signs of twins! The more babies you're carrying, the higher and faster your human chorionic gonadotropin hormone (hCG) rises.
At 8 weeks pregnant with twins, you've likely seen (or will soon see) your babies on an ultrasound. Pregnancy symptoms at this time include morning sickness, bloating, food cravings or distaste, fatigue, breast changes, frequent urination, and increased vaginal discharge.