Do twins really skip a generation?

This belief is based on the assumption that twinning is genetic and runs in families. However, if that was truly the case—if there was a twin gene—then twins would occur with predictable frequency in those families that carry the gene. There is no concrete scientific evidence that suggests twins skip a generation.
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Which parent carries the gene for twins?

The gene versions that increase the chance of hyperovulation can be passed down from parent to child. This is why fraternal twins run in families. However, only women ovulate. So, the mother's genes control this and the fathers don't.
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What happens when twins skip a generation?

The notion that twins always skip a generation is also a myth. The illusion may have arisen because men who inherit the gene from their mothers are unaffected by it ( they do not ovulate), but can still pass it on to their daughters, who, in turn, will have an increased likelihood of conceiving twins.
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Are twins passed down through generations?

Yes, some types of twins are hereditary, meaning that twins run in families. Heredity on the mother's side ups a couple's odds of conceiving fraternal twins. Fraternal twins are two babies from two different eggs that were released from the ovaries simultaneously.
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What are the chances of having twins if it runs in your family?

So if fraternal twins run in a woman's family, she may be more likely to have fraternal twins herself. If a woman's sister has fraternal twins, she is about 2.5 times more likely to have twins herself. If a woman's mother has fraternal twins, she is about 2 times more likely to have twins.
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Do twins skip a generation in family?



Is a twin more likely to have twins?

According to The American Society for Reproductive Medicine, women who are fraternal twins have a 1 in 60 chance of having twins, and men who are fraternal twins have a 1 in 125 chance of fathering twins. It was previously believed that identical (monozygotic) twins were random — not genetic.
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What increases your chance of having twins?

Factors that increase the chance of twins include: consuming high amounts of dairy foods, being over the age of 30, and conceiving while breastfeeding. Many fertility drugs including Clomid, Gonal-F, and Follistim also increase the odds of a twin pregnancy.
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Can you have twins if twins don't run in your family?

Everyone has the same chance of having identical twins: about 1 in 250. Identical twins do not run in families. But there are some factors that make having non-identical twins more likely: non-identical twins are more common in some ethnic groups, with the highest rate among Nigerians and the lowest among Japanese.
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Can twins have different fathers?

But you may be left wondering: Can twins have different fathers? The answer is yes, but only in cases in which they're fraternal, as identical twins form from a single egg/sperm combination and thus cannot have different fathers.
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Can a male twin have twins?

A man with a family history of twins may carry the gene, but it won't mean he can father a set of non-identical twins. The gene is only expressed through women who ovulate. If he has daughters, they may inherit the gene, and one day go on to have fraternal twins.
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Will I have twins if my grandfather was a twin?

Kramer says this theory is just a myth. Let's say your grandmother or grandfather is a twin but your biological parent (their biological child) is NOT a twin. This does not mean if you are pregnant you have a higher chance of conceiving twins naturally since they skipped a generation.
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Can a woman get pregnant while pregnant?

A double pregnancy, or superfetation, is extremely rare — in fact, there aren't even stats on how often it happens — but it's scientifically possible. We're not saying you should worry about it happening to you, just that you can't say that it's impossible.
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What are Irish twins?

The term “Irish twins” refers to one mother having two children who were born 12 months or less apart. It originated in the 1800s as a way to poke fun at Irish Catholic immigrant families who didn't have access to birth control.
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What happens if twins have a baby together?

"Twins married to twins who both have babies at the same time." Since identical twins share the same DNA, the children of two pairs of identical twins are legally cousins, but genetically more similar to siblings.
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Are there 7 types of twins?

Unique identical twins
  • Mirror twins. Mirror twins are exactly what they sound like! ...
  • Conjoined twins. Conjoined twins are a rare twin type in which the two siblings are physically connected. ...
  • Parasitic twins. ...
  • Semi-identical twins. ...
  • Female and male identical twins.
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Who is more likely to have twins?

Age. According to the Office on Women's Health , women who are aged 30 years or older are more likely to conceive twins. The reason for this is that women of this age are more likely than younger women to release more than one egg during their reproductive cycle.
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Can you make yourself have twins?

Though we all know this is impossible. But if you come from a family where non-identical twins are common then your family history and genetic endowment means that you've got a greater chance of having them yourself. But identical twins can occur in any family.
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Does being overweight increase chances twins?

Women who were obese before pregnancy are significantly more likely to give birth to fraternal twins, a new study shows. However, identical twins were not linked to maternal obesity. Fraternal twins are born from separately fertilized eggs.
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What gender is more common in twins?

In the US, 105 non-twin males are born for each 100 non-twin females. However, males are slightly more likely than females to die in the womb. And because the death rate in the womb is higher for twins than for singleton births, female twins are more common than male twins.
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What are the three types of twins?

Types of Twins: Fraternal, Identical, and More
  • Fraternal Twins (Dizygotic)
  • Identical Twins (Monozygotic)
  • Conjoined Twins.
  • Do Twins Share a Placenta and Amniotic Sac?
  • How Common Is Having Twins?
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What does Dutch twins mean?

Therefore, children with a spacing of less than 12 months became known as Irish twins (also known as “Catholic twins” or “Dutch twins”).
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What are Scottish twins?

Years ago, when two children were born within 12 months of each other, people often referred to them as "Irish twins." And when three children were born to the same mother within three years, they were called "Irish triplets." But today these phrases are considered outdated and are less frequently used, particularly ...
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What are Catholic twins?

Noun. Catholic twins pl (normally plural, singular Catholic twin) (slang) Siblings born within twelve months of each other.
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What is a stone baby?

A lithopedion (also spelled lithopaedion; from Ancient Greek: λίθος "stone" and Ancient Greek: παιδίον "small child, infant"), or stone baby, is a rare phenomenon which occurs most commonly when a fetus dies during an abdominal pregnancy, is too large to be reabsorbed by the body, and calcifies on the outside as part ...
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What is the longest a woman has been pregnant?

30 Facts About Pregnancy
  • 30 facts about pregnancy. The longest recorded pregnancy was 375 days. According to a 1945 entry in Time Magazine, a woman named Beulah Hunter gave birth in Los Angeles nearly 100 days after the average 280-day pregnancy. ...
  • 5 myths. Myth: The shape of your belly can predict the gender of your baby.
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