How to Conceive Twins

Conceiving Twins may not be everyone's dream, but if it's yours here are some old wives tales, science and good old fashioned hope to help you achieve your conception of twins. No guarantees of course, but you can have fun while trying!

2 little bundles of joy is better than one, right? Depends on who you ask. :)

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One Egg Splits, Creating 2 Babies

One in every 89 births is a multiple birth. One in every 250 births has a chance of identical twins.

Identical twins occur when the mother's egg splits shortly after conception. Identical twins are more rare than fraternal twins which occur when the mother releases more than one egg.

According to the site KeepKidsHealthy.com in the year 2000 multiple births in the United States were:

• 118,916 Twins
• 6,742 Triplets
• 506 Quadruplets
• 77 Quintuplets or greater

These stats include natural and conceptions aided by fertility treatments. Removing medical fertility help will lower the odds to 1 in 60.

Photo used under Creative Commons from EtanSivad.

Photo used under Creative Commons from www.photographybyjoelle.com.

Fraternal Twins are conceived when two eggs are dropped and fertilized at the same time. The babies may look alike, just as any pair of siblings can, but they will not be identical. In fact they could be complete opposites of each other, even in gender. The chance of having natural born fraternal twins is 1.7%.

• Folic Acid: This supplement is recommended for all pregnant women to ensure a strong brain stem and spinal cord in your baby. The supplement also has been shown to increase the odds of twins when coupled with fertility drugs.
• Dairy: Protein found in dairy products can increase the odds of conceiving twins by 5 times, simply by upping the odds that you'll release multiple eggs.
• Wild Yams: If you can find them, including this food as a staple in your diet could be a surefire way to increase your chances of producing twins. An African tribe that produces the most twins include these wild yams as one of their main food sources.
• Birth Control Pills: If you've been on the pill for some time, in the months after you stop taking the medication your odds for releasing multiple eggs is greater. Your body is re-regulating itself to it's natural hormone production which may cause the extra egg release. You should consult with your doctor before attempting to use birth control pills in this way, as some women may experience miscarriage when becoming pregnant in the month or months following discontinuation of birth control pills.
• Family Tree: Women who have a family history of twins has the best chance of producing twins herself.
• Genetics: Taller women that are a tad overweight have better odds than their skinnier and shorter counterparts. Race also comes into play. Twins are more common in African Americans than Asians or Hispanics.
• Age: Women over age 35 have greater chances of producing twins, however fertility decreases with age and fertility drugs may be needed to help things along. Your odds are 3% at age 25-29, 4% at 30-34, and 5% at 35-39 years.
• Fertility Drugs: Medication that helps stimulate egg production can cause multiple eggs to drop.
• Previous Pregnancies: With each birth your odds of the next being a multiple goes up. The Dugger family from the show "19 Kids and Counting" has had 2 sets of twins in her brood.

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Parents of multiples have often observed their children developing their own form of communication. Many multiple birth siblings remain close and can read each others facial expressions and other nonverbal cues.

Photo used under Creative Commons from Izzard.