8 Interesting And Fun Facts You Didn’t Know About Twins

Multiple births are in the news all the time.
In fact, the UK news has been full of a
couple who has had three sets of twins and
a woman who gave birth to quintuplets
without fertility help! Twins are fascinating
and there are a lot of questions and
suspicion surrounding them. Here are
some interesting and fun facts about them.
1. Male Twins Won’t Necessarily Have
Twins
It has always been said that twins run in
the family but it is really only in the female
side of the family.
Two eggs (or one egg that splits) must
occur for twins and if a woman doesn’t
have the genetic predisposition to have
twins then they won’t happen.
2. Identical Twins Are Not Genetic
If a woman has identical twins, they will
not necessarily have them. Twins are
genetic – due to the woman have the
ability to release two eggs.
Identical twins occur because the egg splits
in two but this is not something that is
genetic.
3. Twins Have Different Fingerprints
Identical twins have the same DNA, which
is the makeup for our looks, eye colour and
fingerprints.
However, the fingerprints are different
between the two are completely different.
There is nothing to state why this happens.
4. Vanishing Twins
While carrying twins, a woman is 15%-20%
likely to lose one of them. There is no clear
reason why this happens as miscarriages
and stillbirths are still being researched.
Due to the early miscarriages, experts are
suggesting that one in eight people actually
start their life in the womb as a twin
without the mother ever knowing.
5. Twins Are Born Early
More than 50% of twins are born at the 37
week mark. This is three weeks earlier than
the expected due date but is still
considered full term.
The average weight of twins is 5lbs 5oz.
6. A Different Language
Around 40% of twins will develop their
own language.
This helps them communicate easily when
they are young and also means that they
can talk to each other without people
knowing what they are saying.
It also shows the close bond that the two
have together.
7. Twins Can Have Different Dads
The term twin usually refers to babies that
are born at the same time. It is possible for
them to have different dads. This occurs
when two eggs are released at the same
time but are fertilised with different sperm.
Between one and two percent of twins will
have different fathers and they can be
different races!
8. Twins Can Have Different Birthdays
 It is possible for twins to be born on
different days. The second baby will not
always follow the first one right away and
can take an extra hour or two.
In very rare cases, babies can be born days
or even months apart depending on
medical issues. There have been cases of
twins born years apart due to fertilisation
happening outside of the womb for help
with fertility.
This is very rare though.