Fraternal Twins Due to Mother's Side

Fraternal Twins Due to Mother's Side

Matthew & Aneysa, 2 months old with their parents.

            There are twins on both sides of my family. My father’s side has a history of identical twins. His younger brother, Timothy, had an identical brother Phillip, but he passed away after two months. He just wasn’t strong enough and the doctor’s couldn’t save him. There is a history of fraternal twins on my mother’s side. My grandfather had a twin sister, Ruth. Unfortunately both have passed away so there are no questions can ask them about being a fraternal twin like me and Matthew. After looking at my family, I could only assume that fraternal twins are carried on the mother’s side of families, and research has shown that I am correct in my assumption.

            According to research in Finland, most fraternal twin births come from the mother’s lineage (Jane, 1998). Researchers have found that in Westernized countries, fraternal twins are more common than identical twins (Jane, 1998). They say this is due to plentiful and predictable resources and people should reproduce while they can and while their children have the best opportunities for survival (Jane, 1998). This proves that people in Westernized countries versus countries like Africa and Asia, will produce more fraternal twins since their food supply is more certain (Jane, 1998). On the other hand, one geneticist at Stanford University feels that fraternal twins are strongly due to genetics.

            According to Dr. Karen Fitch, fraternal twins are created when the mother releases two eggs and the father practically has nothing to do with creating twins, until his daughters have their own kids (Fitch, 2005). I am a fraternal twin therefore I am at least two and half times likely to have a set of my own fraternal twins than a woman who does not have twins in her family (Fitch, 2005). According to genetics, fraternal twins occur when the mother ovulates twice in one menstrual cycle releasing two eggs that pair with sperm (Fitch, 2005). Genes are involved in the process of fraternal twinning; therefore they affect that process compared to identical twinning (Fitch, 2005). However, a woman’s chances to have fraternal twins can increase based on their nutrition (Fitch, 2005).

            It seems as though that through two different research projects, I have been able to come to the conclusion that there are more fraternal twins based on the mother’s die of someone’s family and diet. Not only are my chances increased because I am a twin, other people who eat healthy and have twins on their mother’s side of the family or father’s side of the family if they are a female, can have twins. I have always wanted to have twins, since I am a twin. I liked being able to grow up with my brother and go through the same things together. I have had someone by my side my whole life and I would really like to have my kids feel the same way by having a twin.

 

Fitch, K. (2005, January 26). Ask a geneticist. Understanding Genetics. Retrieved January 31, 2012, from http://www.thetech.org/genetics/ask.php?id=86.

Jane E., B. (1998, August 11). Study finds more fraternal twins in lands of plenty. Health & Social Work. Retrieved January 30, 2012, from Health & Social Work database.

Are Fraternal Twins Different from Normal Siblings?

Are Fraternal Twins Different from Normal Siblings?

Aneysa & Matthew: 7 months old at their first photo shoot.

              

            Aneysa and Matthew, we have heard our names linked together for the past twenty-five going on twenty-six years. Other names we have been called are “the twins” and “frats.” The last two names really defined us as twins, but as we got older we were given our own identities. Being separately called by our names, we were not identified as twins anymore, just siblings. Unless we were asked people assumed we were regular siblings, which we didn’t have a problem with since we were getting older.

Since fraternal twins are the same age, they are more like regular siblings than people may think once they get older. Twins are likely to have similar interests and be involved in similar hobbies, so they are likely to encounter same situations (Twins, 2008). For example, they may have the same allergies, diet habits, and behaviors, but they share about half of their genes. (Twins, 2008). Those similarities are shared by normal siblings and fraternal twins (Twins, 2008).

            There are a few differences between normal siblings that might have years between their age and fraternal twins. Siblings that are two years apart might not develop the same diseases. For example, my boyfriend Benjamin and his sister Tiffany are five years apart in age. Tiffany was diagnosed with lupus four years ago. Benjamin has been tested and does not have that disease, but his younger sister Tiffany does. When it comes to twins, they are more likely to have the same diseases (Twins, 2008). It doesn’t matter if the twins are identical or fraternal, they can develop the same type of disease (Twins, 2008).

            I have wondered whether mine and Matthew’s bond is strong because we are twins. After reading through this article, normal siblings are a lot like fraternal twins. There might be a “special bond” we have because we are twins, but the similarities we have are not just because we’re twins. Many other siblings feel protective over one another and feel like they need to be near the other. I’m not able to get over the fact that I don’t want to move out of state because I can’t bare being far away from him, and I will be the first person to come to his rescue when he needs it.

            Matthew and I have been tested for several different diseases. We haven’t been diagnosed with anything, but Matthew has had a cyst before and his eyesight is worse than mine. I have never had any type of cyst, but my allergies are bad. I am allergic to pollen, dust, and I react very badly to dry heat. Matthew has a minor allergy to pollen, but most of the time it isn’t bad enough to take allergy pills every day like myself. Our differences are similar in some ways, but we have more differences than similarities. If people were to look at a picture of the two of us, eight times out of ten, they wouldn’t think we were twins. Matthew and I have more characteristics of normal siblings, than twins.

Twins: Genetics (27 October 2008). Twins genetics. Retrieved January 31, 2012, from the Gale Science In Context database.

Fraternal VS Identical

Fraternal VS Identical

           Twins are created when a fertilized egg splits in half (Twins, 2007). That split can create identical twins, but fraternal twins are created when two eggs are fertilized separately (Twins, 2007). Scientifically, identical twins are called monozygotic twins, and fraternal twins are called dizygotic twins (Twins, 2007). Twin births typically happen when there are already a set or sets of twins within a family. There is a higher risk for sets of twins or multiples period, when both the mother and father have twins in their families (Twins, 2007). No matter what types of twins are in any family, research has shown that identical and fraternal twins can happen regardless of how many identical or fraternal twins are within a family (Twins, 2007).

            Fraternal and identical twins can look similar in the womb (Twins, 2007). Matter of fact, you probably would never be able to guess if your twins were identical or fraternal until they were born, unless you get tests done (Twins, 2007). The placenta and membranes can be examined and show whether or not the eggs share a common chorion, placenta or amnion (Twins, 2007). If that is the case, then you have identical twins (Twins, 2007). There is one slight problem that science is not perfect, and therefore the tests could be wrong (Twins, 2007). At times, identical twins can split into two embryos and develop their own placenta and membranes, just like fraternal twins (Twins, 2007). There’s really no exact science to know whether or not your twins will come out looking the same, or if they have little to no similarities at all (Twins, 2007).

            My mother has said that when she first found out we were twins; she thought she was going to have twin girls. She was very excited to have the chance to have a boy and a girl at the same time. On my mother’s side of the family, my grandfather had a twin sister. On my father’s side of the family, one of my uncle’s had a twin brother. We have fraternal and identical twins on both sides of the family, which supports the information in the article given. Any type of twin can be born to a family with a history of twins, even fraternal twins with no similarities at all (Twins, 2007). While we were in the womb, Matt and I were very different. Matt was very calm, barely kicked at all. On the other hand, I was always moving especially when there was music on. The two of us were never on the same page living in the womb. In fact, during delivery my mother said that it seemed as if Matthew wanted to stay in her stomach and I wanted to come out as quickly as I could. Now that we are twenty five years older, we have several similarities and share similar viewpoints. I cherish every day I have with Matthew.

Article Cited:

Twins: World of genetics (2007). Twins world of genetics. Retrieved January 31, 2012, from the Gale Science In Context database.