my mom is a twin. my grandmother had a set of twins (obviously).
and my aunt had a daughter who had twins. i don’t know any farther back then that because my mom’s side of the family isn’t very close. but anyways i was wondering if any of you would know what my chances of having twins is?

Hi! I’m the mother of identical twins so I hear these types of questions alot. I’ve also done a ton of reading on the subject. Here’s some facts:

1. Identical twins are from one egg that splits. It’s a random act of nature and not impacted by age, ethnicity, family history or fertility drugs. ALL pregnancies have a 1 in 250 chance of being identical twins.

2. Fraternal twins occur when the female produces two eggs and both are fertilized. Older women have an increased chance of twins, it’s more common in African Americans (less common in Asians and Hispanics), and women on fertility drugs are "at risk" for twins.

3. Family history is relevant only if the twins are fraternal twins. Researchers believe there is a "hyperzygocity" gene which causes females with this gene to produce more than one egg per cycle. That’s why "twins run in families". If the twins in your family are fraternal twins then there is an increased chance you will have twins.

4. There are alot of myths out there about twins. People think they skip generations because they don’t realize that an increased chance does not translate to guarantee! When you do decided to start trying to conceive be sure to discuss your family history with your doctor. He/she might want to do an early ultrasound to see if it’s twins.

Good luck!

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