I have two sets of twins. What? Seriously? Two sets? Yes, two sets. So how can a woman who didn’t go through IVF get two sets of twins, you ask…? Lemme tell you! There are many factors that increase the chance of twining. Here are a few – see if they apply to you:
1. It runs in your family. Duh! The hyperovulation gene gets passed down from generation to generation, and contrary to popular belief, is not guaranteed to skip a generation, as my fellow M.O.M. Andie (www.multiplemama.com) has found out.
2. You’re fat! Face it, we have enough meat on our bones to support a few life-sucking parasites for 9 months! It’s the best diet you’ve ever tried... and you can EAT like there is no tomorrow! Women with a BMI of 35% or higher have increased odds of twining.
3. You’re tall! When you have a lanky 6 feet of body instead of a squishy 5 foot frame, there is a ton more room in your abdominal cavity to support a few babies while maintaining your required ability to breathe and swallow regularly. I’m not saying you won’t enjoy being so gigantic that your tummy is in a different zip code than the rest of your body, but you do have the extra room in there. Women who rank in the top 25th percentile of the height chart have an increased chance of twining.
4. You are old or super young. Teenagers are new to this menstruation thing and often they pop off eggs at random times or more than one at a time; if they are sexually active without taking precautions, they may end up with twins. Likewise, we all know that as you sail past 35 years old, your body is starting to close up shop, and the body will often drop an extra egg here or there to speed up the process. If you are over 45 years old, your chances will skyrocket. Don’t laugh… I personally know 2 moms in their 50s who had twins born in 2009. They were 51 and 53 years old when their twins arrived, and each of them already had one child in preschool as well!
5. You’ve had twins before. Your body thinks it’s “normal” to have a litter!
I meet all the criteria… and add my PCOS issue on top of that, which slightly increases your chances of twinning when you take the meds to regulate your cycles… so I was almost guaranteed to have multiple multiples. Good times.
You are funny! My doctor told us that the chances of having another set "wasn't zero", so no more babies for us (unless I get to the point where having one more doesn't give me heart palpatations). Your little girls are beautiful... all FOUR of them! Can't wait to start reading your blog. :)
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