The only definite way to find out whether you're having twins or other multiples is to have an ultrasound scan. The best time to have this ultrasound is at 10-12 weeks of pregnancy. This is usually when your health professional can say for sure how many fetuses, placentas and amniotic sacs there are.
Luckily, most parents don't have to wait long to know for sure. "Today, twins can usually be diagnosed as early as six to seven weeks into the pregnancy," he says.
It is estimated that 1 in 250 natural pregnancies will naturally result in twins. While twin pregnancies can happen by chance, there are some factors that may increase your odds of having two babies at the same time. Let's learn about twins!
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.
However, home pregnancy tests won't confirm if twins are present, only the presence of hCG. It takes around 2 weeks after conception for hCG to be detected in a hCG pregnancy test. Low levels of hCG may be detected in a woman's blood 8-11 days after conception.
Morning sickness tends to be more severe for moms having twins than moms having singletons. Hearing heartbeats early on: Your doctor would be able to hear 2 sets of heartbeats as early as 10-12 weeks into pregnancy. Higher water retention: There is a high level of water retention when you are having twins.
High levels of HCG in early pregnancy prevent antibodies from binding to the hormone, so when a test pack is checked, the results are negative. This condition is known as the prozone effect. So, getting pregnant with twins and having a negative test pack is possible.
Don t be surprised if you develop a bit of a 6 weeks pregnant belly. Although your 6 week embryo is still well down in your pelvis, some women, especially those who've been pregnant before, seem to show much earlier. General abdominal distention is usually the cause.
With twins, the uterus tends to expand a lot more and the body experiences more pressure. Hence, experiencing cramps and back pain early on could be a possible hint.
If the test result is 'Pregnant' a numerical result: "1-2", "2-3" or "3+", is also displayed indicating that conception occurred 1 to 2 weeks ago, 2 to 3 weeks ago or 3 or more weeks ago.
Any positive line, no matter how faint, means your result is pregnant. Levels of hCG in your body will increase over the course of your pregnancy. If you test early, your hCG levels may be still be low and you'll see a faint positive line.
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.
At the same time, some moms of twins and triplets say they have no morning sickness. The uterus is larger than expected because a twin or multiples pregnancy may cause the mother's uterus to expand beyond the range of a single pregnancy. Higher hCG levels.
3 WEEKS: Twins implantation
By 3 weeks, each zygote has developed into a ball of several hundred cells, called a blastocyst, and is burrowing into the uterine lining. Because they have different chromosomes, your fraternal twins may or may not be the same gender.
Early signs of a twin pregnancy include severe morning sickness, quick weight gain, and more breast tenderness. You may also notice an increased appetite or extreme fatigue. Plus, those who have a twin pregnancy may begin showing sooner.
Most miscarriages - 8 out of 10 (80 percent) - happen in the first trimester before the 12th week of pregnancy. Miscarriage in the second trimester (between 13 and 19 weeks) happens in 1 to 5 in 100 (1 to 5 percent) pregnancies. Pregnancy loss that happens after 20 weeks is called stillbirth.
Many women choose to delay announcing a pregnancy at least until the end of the first trimester (12 weeks into their pregnancy). This is usually because of concerns about the risk of miscarriage (pregnancy loss) during this time.
Range of hCG levels and what they can mean
The range for singletons is 5 – 397 and for twins it is 48 – 683.
Being pregnant with multiples doesn't necessarily mean that your pregnancy will be problematic. However, women carrying multiples do have a higher chance of developing complications such as high blood pressure and preterm labor. For this reason, all multiple pregnancies are considered high-risk.
Fraternal twins — the most common kind of twins — occur when two separate eggs are fertilized by two different sperm. Each twin has his or her own placenta and amniotic sac. The twins can be two girls, two boys, or a boy and a girl.