Longer lives When analyzing the data by gender, the researchers found that female identical twins lived, on average, about 63.4 years, whereas female fraternal twins lived about 61.4 years and the general Danish female population lived about 58.8 years, Sharrow said.
Both results were statistically significant. Moms of twins also were older at the time of their last birth. The age at last birth averaged 39.7 years for women born before 1870, and 36.2 years for women born during 1870-1899. Moms of twins had their last births 4.8 months later and 14 months later, respectively.
Even twins, identical twins, die at different times.” On average, he said, more than 10 years apart. The likely reason is that life span is determined by such a complex mix of events that there is no accurate predicting for individuals.
Analysis shows that twins have lower mortality rates for both sexes throughout their lifetimes.
Identical twins live longer, possibly because they have a BFF from birth, according to researchers from the University of Washington, Seattle, WA. Furthermore, this effect is greatest in male identical twins, according to results from their recent study, published in the journal PLOS ONE.
For a given pregnancy, the odds of conceiving fraternal twins are only determined by the mother's genetics, not the father's. Fraternal twins happen when two eggs are simultaneously fertilised instead of just one.
Multiples are about twice as likely as singleton babies to have birth defects, including neural tube defects (such as spina bifida), cerebral palsy, congenital heart defects and birth defects that affect the digestive system.
At age 7, the mean IQ score of twins was 5.3 points lower than that of singletons in the same family, and at age 9, the score was 6.0 points lower. The lower intelligence of twins in childhood may partly be a consequence of the reduced fetal growth and shorter gestations of twins, say the authors.
Using the family-based adult sample, no differences in IQ scores were found between twins and their singleton siblings.
Monoamniotic-monochorionic Twins
These types of twins share a chorion, placenta, and an amniotic sac. This is the rarest type of twin, and it means a riskier pregnancy as the babies can get tangled in their own umbilical cords.
Many people believe twins skip a generation, but that's just a myth. The idea that twins skip generations likely comes from the fact that the genetic factors contributing to twins only come from the gestational parent's side.
Which twin is older? The oldest twin is the one who is born first. It doesn't matter whether twins are born vaginally or by C-section; the first one out of the womb is considered the oldest. This may be the baby who was labeled baby A during the ultrasounds, but it might not if the other one makes it out first.
A little more than half of twin pregnancies end in preterm delivery (before 37 weeks). While 40 weeks is the full gestation period of the average pregnancy, most twin pregnancies are delivered at approximately 36 weeks (range 32-38 weeks depending on the type of twin pregnancy).
May 24 (UPI) -- According to research published on Tuesday, mothers who give birth to twins are more lucky than they are biologically unique -- a conclusion that goes against previous research done on the issue.
Most twins, triplets and more grow and develop along roughly the same lines as their singleton peers – even those who start out much smaller will catch up in time. But there is nothing to say twins, triplets or more have to reach milestones at the same time as each other.
It's a common misconception that twins skip a generation in families. There is absolutely no evidence, other than circumstantial, that twins are more likely to occur every other generation.
Fortunately telling twins apart is one fear that can be taken off the list. Most parents find that mixing up their babies is the least of their concerns. After only a few hours or days at most, they are distinguishable as individuals. Even if they look alike, parents just know the difference.
A study by Mercedes Sheen and her colleagues from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand asked 20 pairs of twins independently to produce autobiographical memories in response to cue words. Fourteen of the pairs produced at least one memory that was claimed by both twins.
The hardest thing about having twins is…
“Managing the movement of two babies. Carrying them both up and down the stairs, getting them into the car, etc.” —Simeon R. “Often having to make one baby wait!” —Catharine D. “Being outnumbered—the logistics of two on one is definitely the hardest.
“Having twins is not twice as hard—it's exponentially more difficult,” says Natalie Diaz, author of What To Do When You're Having Two and CEO of Twiniversity, a global support network for parents of twins.
While obviously not everyone has an identical twin, according to experts, it could be true that everyone has a twin that at least looks just like them. We've all seen someone we have mistaken for someone else, and many of us have even been mistaken for another person.
The survival of monochorionic twins diagnosed in the first trimester is 89%. Twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) occurs in 9% and is the most important cause of death.
They are associated with an eight to tenfold increase in the perinatal mortality rate,2 mainly because 40-70% of twins are born preterm.
This is why fraternal twins run in families. However, only women ovulate. So, the mother's genes control this and the fathers don't. This is why having a background of twins in the family matters only if it is on the mother's side.