How a woman can conceive twins

There are many people who would love to have twins. Some because they would want to give birth in one go, others because twins are fascinating and others because twins in some cultures are said to come with blessings. So how exactly are twins formed? According to Dr Henry Bukenya a general practitioner with Mulago Hospital, twins are children born at the same time by the same parents.

He explains that there are three different types of twins. There are the di-zygote twins who are also known as fraternal twins. “This type of twins are as a result of simultaneous fertilisation of two egg cells.” The doctor explains that this type might be of a different sex and do not usually resemble.

The second type are the identical or mono-zygote twins, and they are a result of the fertilisation of a single egg cell that divides to give two separate features or foetuses. “In this case, the egg breaks into two and each gets fertilised so these twins will be identical having the same sex depending on the egg that the mother released. However they might not resemble but they will always have the same sex,” explains the doctor.

The third type which are not common in Uganda are the Siamese twins. Dr. Bukenya says that these are identical co-joined twins (physically joined at birth). They are of the same sex and are normally joined at the umbilical cord, head or the trunk like the chest or back.

The general practitioner explains that apart from the ones who are joined by the umbilical cord, the Siamese twins joined by other parts of the body cannot be separated. “In the whole world there has only been one successful operation of such twins.” Dr. Bukenya says that scientifically, getting twins is called an unfortunate condition because women are supposed to have one child at a go.

Who is more likely to get twins?

According to the doctor, “Ladies in the age group 29 to late 30s are very likely to bear twins because it has been scientifically proven that their uterus is weak and cannot resist the contraction of the eggs so the chances of resisting two or more eggs from entering the uterus is very minimal.” The same cause is also linked to young girls in their teens.

Bukenya also explains that one can bear twins because of family history where twins run in their kin. Also, in cases where a woman has had a multiple pregnancy, her chances of conceiving twins again are high.

The doctor adds that eating foods like cassava, yams and sweet potato can also increase one’s chances. According to www.babyzone.com, “The peelings of these foods contain a chemical causes hyperovulation (the release of more than one egg by a woman during her monthly cycle) which increases her chances of conceiving more than one child.”

www.babyzone.com adds that some research has supported the theory that the chance of twins or multiples is increased if a woman conceives while breastfeeding. It says that Dr. Gary Steinman claims that women who become pregnant while breastfeeding are nine times more likely to conceive twins than women who are not breastfeeding at the time of conception.