Another Twin Question...?

Question

After asking my other question, I found out from my mum that un-identical twins are in my family too.

My maternal nan's female cousin and brother had fraternal twins. I think someone said that it's got to be a female relative or otherwise it's not hereditary. Does that increase my chances of having twins?

I'm not obsessed, and I can imagine twins are a right handful! But I'm really fascinated by it and genetics in general.

Answer 1

There is a gene that some women have that causes them to realease two eggs when they ovulate.

If both these eggs get fertilized then you get non-identical twins.

This gene can be passed from mother to daughter - which is why you get families that have a history of twins.  The gene is only ever passed through the female line.

For you to have an increased chance of having twins your mother would have to pass on the gene to you from her grandmother - who got it from HER mother and so on.

Your grandmother's cousin having twins is a bit of a distant link.  You would have to plot a family tree back to the common femals ancestor to see whether the gene could have been passed down to you as well.

Answer 2

My grandma had two set of twins and my mom had a set. I think genetics can be a reason. So far none of my older brothers and sister have had twins,  I guess it's up to me and my twin to prove if it runs in my family.

Answer 3

Twins can be hereditry but it usually skips a generation. So, if your grandmother had twins, you're likely to. However, you are more likely to have twins than an average person just because there are twins in your mothers side. My mums grandmas sisters were twins, and my mum got pregnant with twins but didn't give birth to them. So really, there's no way to tell.

Answer 4

My dad's an identical twin, and I'm a non-identical twin.  So I don't know what that does to your theory!

Answer 5

i have quads in my family

Answer 6

there is strong evidence that points towards twins being genetic and a part of evolution when survival was much harder and so many offspring were vital for continuation of the species and so a family of twins may have stood a better chance of survival compared to that of single offspings because of strength in numbers, triplets and quads and even quins (5 which is the highest NATURAL birth amount) do exist but as the numbers increase the size of the babies decreases and so does there chances of survival so i believe that twins in humans is a happy medium between more offspring for prosperity of the race at a time where numbers mattered but also allowing for healthy off spring to develop which is why twins are more common than triplets quads or quins

right that explains the background of how twins could have evolved but now for the science

identical twins as we know are two seperate children that are genetically identical and have come from one egg that has split and then continued to develop

non-identical twins again as we know are two seperate eggs that have been fertilised at the same or similar times and have developed in the womb at the same time

for identical twins the egg has to split but not just split as it does naturally inorder to develop the egg into a baby but actually split to produce another seperate egg with the same DNA and it needs instruction to do that, therefore it can be either the sperm or eggs (or both) DNA that provides that instruction to split further than usual and seperate

therefore if you have identical twins in either side of your family mother or father then you are more likely to have twins that are identical

with non-identical twins the ovaries need to produce more than one egg for fertilization and the eggs need to be viable, it is not terribly uncommon (but still relatively rare) for more than one egg to be produced but as eggs require nurture and time to develop in the ovary before it makes its way down the fallopian tubes and waits for fetilization if more than one egg is released the other egg runs a risk of being immature and not capable of being fertilized so if the one child is conceived the other egg is reabsorbed by the body

again both sides play a part people say it must be one side or the other but its not the case its all about the history of your family but also its what you have inherited from your parents if either side of your family have non-identical twins you have an increased chance of conceiving twins that are non identical

the other factor to put into the equation is whether you are capable of carrying twins the human body isn't stupid and if it feels that it can not cope with the demands of a pregnancy it will stop the preganancy and you will miscarry

also it depends on the gender of the twins, boys carry in the womb alot worse than girls because they require more developement than girls and require testerone puting a strain on the body extra to preganancy itself