I remember desperately wishing I had been born a twin while growing up. It probably had something to do with all the Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen videos I watched repeatedly, but they just made having a doppelgänger for a sibling look so fun!
Aside from their on-screen antics, though, I was surprised to find so many fascinating facts about twins I was missing out on.
While having a best friend before you even leave the womb is certainly a perk, there are plenty of other benefits to sharing your life with a look-alike by your side. And, apparently, there are even some interesting advantages for the mothers of twins too — and even some ways for hopeful moms-to-be to up their chances of bringing two new babies into the world at the same time.
Are you or someone you know a twin? Take a look at all the incredible facts about twins below and let us know in the comments if we missed any of your favorite twin trivia.
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1. The «Twin Gene» Is For Real
It only occurs with fraternal twins, though, due to a gene causing hyperovulation in some women. It can be passed down from generation to generation, even through the father, which is what makes having multiple sets in one family more common.
2. Dairy Might Increase A Mom’s Chances Of Having Twins
Gary Steinman, an OB-GYN at the Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New York, studied the difference between the twin birth rate of vegans, who don’t consume any dairy products, and moms who regularly have dairy products. He discovered that the non-vegans were five times more likely to become pregnant with twins.
He explained how those who consume dairy have more of a certain protein which makes a woman’s ovaries more sensitive to a follicle-stimulating hormone that triggers ovulation and increases the chances of multiple eggs being fertilized.
Other factors that can make twins more likely for women: being over 30 years old and tall.
3. Identical Twins Don’t Always Stay Identical
Obviously, just because their looks are identical, these types of twins are still unique individuals who grow up forming their own opinions and even have separate sets of fingerprints. But studies have shown how dietary and environmental factors can also cause their physical appearances to evolve into less-matching features.
4. Moms Of Twins Tend To Live Longer
You would think raising a twosome would tucker a mom out, but after looking into the records of over 59,000 women who gave birth from 1800 to 1970, researchers from the University of Utah noticed that these mamas actually lived longer than those without twins.
5. The Amount Of Twins Born Has Increased Dramatically
According to studies done by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the rate of twin births in the United States alone has gone up a whopping 76 percent since 1980, likely due to the growing use of fertilization treatments.
6. They Are More Likely To Be Left-Handed
A study in 1996 discovered that the perinatal complications often involved in twin pregnancies can increase their chances of left-handedness once they make their way out of the womb.
7. They Can Have Different Fathers
This is known as heteropaternal superfecundation, which is more common in animals like cats and dogs, and happens very rarely in some women when they drop more than one egg during ovulation and they are fertilized by two different men.
Mistakes during fertilization treatments can be the cause. Dutch parents Wilma and Willem Stuart gave birth to twin boys with different skin tones after the hospital accidentally mixed someone else’s sample with Willem’s.
8. They Form A Close Bond In The Womb
You may have seen stories of newborn twins snuggled up together shortly after entering the world and finding comfort in being reunited with their bestie, but a pair of sisters prove just how strong that bond really is.
Meredith Ellen Harrington and Meredith Grace Rittenhouse were born together in China but were found abandoned by their mother and taken to the Jiangmen City Social Welfare Institute on separate dates. They were adopted into different families and somehow not only ended up with the same name, but both also expressed to their parents how much they wished they had a sister.
They met at age 4 when Meredith Grace’s father came across a photo of Meredith Ellen on a website that connected families who adopted from the same welfare institute. After instantly giving each other a hug, Meredith Ellen told her sister, “I think we were born together.” The two continue to visit each other regularly.
9. They Don’t All Have Their Own Secret Language
As children, about 40 percent of twins (or other siblings close in age) pick up on verbal cues that others around them can’t interpret, but it usually fades away as they begin to learn proper language.
There are some pairs, however, who maintain their unique vocabulary their whole life.
10. There Are «Semi-Identical» Twins Too
No, it’s not just a different name for fraternal twins, but a gray area in between those and identical twins in which an egg is fertilized by two different sperm from the father before it separates.
Did we miss any fascinating facts about twins? Let us know below and be sure to SHARE with your friends!
