What are my chances of giving birth to twins?
The fact that twins run in the family on your side does increase the chance of you having twins, but less so than if your mother had also conceived twins. Your husband’s family history of twins doesn’t count, however. When twins run in the family, it is the chance of having non-identical (fraternal) twins that is increased. The chance of having identical twins is pretty much the same either way and is relatively similar throughout the world. Familial twinning seems to be due to an increased likelihood of releasing more than one egg at the time of ovulation. This is why it leads to non-identical twins rather than identical. With identical twins, only one egg is released, which then goes on to split into two early after fertilisation. Some people find the idea of twins quite attractive, but it must be remembered that they are high risk pregnancies and carry significant burden. Of course most twin pregnancies are fine, but the chance of stillbirth and early death is three to four times hi
