What are identical twins?

This is an automatically translated article.

The article was professionally consulted by Specialist Doctor I Truong Nghia Binh - Obstetrician-Gynecologist - Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology - Vinmec Danang International General Hospital.
Twins are no longer a rare phenomenon these days. About 5 out of 100 pregnant women are pregnant with twins; There are two possibilities when you are pregnant with twins: Identical twins or fraternal twins. Identical twins will be completely identical in shape and sex.

1. How does a twin pregnancy form?

Identical twin pregnancy occurs when the fertilized egg divides into two embryos and from there develops into two separate individuals. This process begins at the very beginning, when the embryo is just a bunch of cells. Identical twins will be completely identical in shape and sex.
Another possibility of identical twins is that, with the help of medical techniques, a fertilized egg is inserted into the woman's uterus. The egg can split in two and form identical twins.
Chances of having identical twins are often lower than those of fraternal twins: Only one-third of twins are identical. And this ability does not depend on genetics as many people mistakenly believe.

2. Signs of twin pregnancy?

The abdomen is growing larger than usual, and severe morning sickness is a symptom that is easily confused with pregnancy. Ultrasound is the only way to determine if a mother is pregnant with twins.
The earliest time you can check to know if you are pregnant or not is from the 10th to the 13th week of pregnancy.
Details of fetal development week by week, every parent should learn. :

3. Is identical twins dangerous?

Twins have a higher risk of miscarriage. In some cases, one of the fetuses can be miscarried or stop growing (VTS), only the surviving fetus survives.
Twins often lead to asymmetrical growth and weight difference between the two fetuses due to having 1 fetus with growth retardation in the uterus, leading to low birth weight babies, with a higher risk of jaundice than with a normal pregnancy.
In addition, twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome can occur in placental twins. If left untreated, this syndrome can cause neonatal heart failure or lead to death.

4. Pregnancy with identical eggs should pay attention to what?

Mothers carrying twins can take the following steps to reduce these risks, including:
4.1 See your doctor early and often Advice from medical professionals, during pregnancy especially with multiples , mothers need to be examined and monitored at medical facilities, as well as periodical antenatal check-ups. If there are abnormal signs, doctors will consult and discuss to choose the decision that is least harmful to health and spirit. Because twins are easy to have large fetuses, babies... in the last 3 months, the mother must be closely monitored to be able to maintain the fetus at least 37 weeks of age because it is easy to give birth prematurely.
4.2 Healthy Diet A mother's diet has a big impact on pregnancy. Weight gain during pregnancy with twins can help ensure babies are born at a healthy weight. Therefore, pregnant women need to ensure a diet with an appropriate amount of protein to help the baby grow. Pregnant women should eat enough, not dieting or eating too much. Health experts recommend that pregnant women should only add 300 calories to the daily nutritional menu based on the standard calorie table for women. These calories should only be doubled or tripled when you're pregnant with twins or triplets.
4.3 Drink enough water Dehydration can cause premature birth, especially when carrying twins. So make sure to drink enough water every day.
Twins are prone to large, small babies...so the last 3 months pregnant women must be closely monitored to get advice on the best way to take care of the baby. During labor, pregnant women must go to medical facilities with neonatal resuscitation departments.
The most important thing for pregnant women with twins is to see a doctor for advice, to know in advance all the risks and difficulties to prepare psychologically, as well as get encouragement, comfort and help from relatives.

4.4 Does a mother need to double her calorie intake during pregnancy with twins? Mothers often misunderstand that when pregnant with twins, the mother's body must double the amount of energy taken in to get enough nutrition for her baby, however, pregnancy nutrition guidelines are not simply based on the number of babies the mother has.
Instead, these guidelines will be based on the mother's body mass index at the start of pregnancy. The doctor will advise specifically the amount of calories the mother needs based on the mother's initial weight. On average, it is estimated that a woman carrying twins needs to increase her calorie intake by about 40%.
4.5 Are all twin pregnancies born before their due date? More than half of twins are born prematurely (before thirty-seven weeks of pregnancy). For pregnancies in general, term is forty weeks, with most twins born around thirty-six weeks (Thirty-two to thirty-eight weeks depending on the type of twin). Unfortunately, preventing preterm births with multiples is much more difficult than with singletons, because interventions for multiples are less effective.
Pregnancy is already hard to put into words, but when you carry two babies at the same time, the difficulty increases even more, taking care of yourself is the best way to take care of your baby, please save Consider the following for a healthy pregnancy. The first 3 months are the most sensitive time during pregnancy. In order for mother and baby to be healthy, parents need to pay attention to:
Understand early signs of pregnancy, pregnancy poisoning, bleeding during pregnancy. Timely, correct and sufficient first prenatal check-up, avoiding too early/too late. Fetal malformation screening at 12 weeks detects dangerous fetal malformations that can be intervened early. Distinguish between normal vaginal bleeding and pathological vaginal bleeding for timely intervention to maintain pregnancy. Screening for thyroid disease in the first 3 months of pregnancy avoids dangerous risks before and during delivery. Vinmec currently has many maternity packages (12-27-36 weeks), in which the 12-week maternity package helps monitor the health of mother and baby right from the beginning of pregnancy, early detection and timely intervention of health issues. In addition to the usual services, the maternity monitoring program from 12 weeks has special services that other maternity packages do not have such as: Double Test or Triple Test to screen for fetal malformations; Quantitative angiogenesis factor test to diagnose preeclampsia; thyroid screening test; Rubella test; Testing for parasites transmitted from mother to child seriously affects the baby's brain and physical development after birth.
Specialist doctor I Truong Nghia Binh has over 13 years of experience in the field of Obstetrics and Gynecology, has high expertise and long experience in diagnosing and treating Obstetrics and Gynecology diseases such as: screening for diseases of mother and baby before birth chorionic villus biopsies, amniocentesis.. Ultrasound to screen for fetal malformations (3D, 4D ultrasound) Follow-up, birth control in cases of normal or difficult birth treatment of pre-eclampsia, placenta previa, pregnancy with complicated medical conditions... Cesarean section for 1st, 2nd, 3rd time caesarean section... Examination, treatment treatment of gynecological diseases. Examination and consultation for infertile couples For more information about the 12-week maternity package and registration, you can contact the clinics and hospitals of the Vinmec health system worldwide. country.

Please dial HOTLINE for more information or register for an appointment HERE. Download MyVinmec app to make appointments faster and to manage your bookings easily.

Article references source: mayoclinic.org , webmd.com