The teen twin daughters of Los Tweens & Teens publisher, Cristy
According to the National Center for Healthy Statistics, the twin birth rate in the US rose 76% from 1980 through 2009.
This increase may be caused by the popularity of growth hormones in food, fertility drugs and in vitro fertilization techniques, where 21 out of 1,000 births are pairs.
Twins, two babies produced by a single pregnancy, can either be identical (same physical features due only one egg) or fraternal (from two different eggs and look like two average brothers and sisters).
Related story: Raising Twin Tweens is Tougher than Terrible Twos
We wanted to take a deeper look at these 33.7 per 1,000 live births occurrence:
- According to About.com, there exists 5 variations of twins, with the 3 most common being fraternal: two boys, two girls and a boy/girl (the most common), and the other two being identical girl-girl and boy-boy (the least common).
- Conjoined twins or “Siamese” are those twins whose bodies are jointed together during pregnancy, which occur 1 in 50,000 pregnancies.
- According to a 2011 report published by Ostet Gynecol, an estimated 75% of twin pregnancies in the US are delivered by Cesarean section.
- Researches suspects as many as 1 in 8 pregnancies start out as multiples, but mostly a single fetus is brought to full terms, a phenomenon known as “vanishing twin.”
- Twinshave the same DNA and their children will be genetically half-siblings.
- A 2006 study found that vegan mothers are one fifth more likely to have twins as vegetarian or omnivore mothers.
- Studies has shown thattwins separated from birth showed same physical and psychological similarities as twins who were raised together.
- Cryptophasia or “twin language”is developed when twins develop a communication form that they can only understand (mostly due to a delayed speech development of either or both).
- “Mirrortwins” is a term used to describe pairs that do everything opposite of each other, for example: one is right handed the other is left, one’s a Tom boy the other is a girly girl, etc.
- The Twins Days Festival in Twinsburg, Ohio is the largest annual gathering of twins (& other multiples) in the world, with this past August marking its 40th year anniversary.
Want more? Check out this cool video with “10 Mind Blowing Facts About Twins:”
Anllelic Lozada “Angie” is a proud P.A.N.K (professional aunt with no kids), a Personal Marketing Strategist in NYC and Los Tweens & Teens “Tia-in-Charge,” based in New York City. Anllelic wants you to best your best life so you can positively influence your tween and teen. Subscribe to her weekly e-newsletter in Spanish in marketingparatucarrera.com/Vendete, where she shares personal marketing strategies to help you “Comunicar lo genial que eres.”