Question on Identical or Fraternal Twins...

I have a question. When my babies were born, the placenta was sent for testing to see if the boys were identical or fraternal. Unfortunately, when the Dr. called for the results, no one could find them! The boys are 15 1/2 mo. now. I am curious about this. I just thought at the time, I'll wait it out and see. The boys look quite a bit alike but they do have some differences, different head shapes and profiles. When I think of identical twins I think of friends I knew in school that were soooo much alike it was so hard to tell them apart. Is this always the case? Can someone enlighten me? Thanks, Mary

 

I have a question. When my babies were born, the placenta was sent for testing to see if the boys were identical or fraternal. Unfortunately, when the Dr. called for the results, no one could find them! The boys are 15 1/2 mo. now. I am curious about this. I just thought at the time, I'll wait it out and see. The boys look quite a bit alike but they do have some differences, different head shapes and profiles. When I think of identical twins I think of friends I knew in school that were soooo much alike it was so hard to tell them apart. Is this always the case? Can someone enlighten me? Thanks, Mary

 

Mary, many, if not most, ID twins will have differences. They really aren't exact copies, especially not to moms. My sisters and others have a hard time telling the boys apart, even though there's a two pound weight difference. In my opinion, if they look a lot alike and others get them confused, they are probably ID.

 

Your post sounds a lot like my thoughts pre-test. Mine have different head shapes. They looked very different at birth but by 5 months I was beginning to wonder -- they have matching hair, eyes, hands, feet, belly buttons, and build. They look more and more alike as they get older and I would bet that people at their school will someday struggle to tell them apart.

I think that testing is totally worth it just to satisfy the curiousity.

 

Sounds familiar except the path. report came back ID for us. Their heads looked differnt when they were born, but noone but close fam. and friends can tell them apart now. I guess they look alike. To ME (the mom, I know) the way they walk, talk, eat, sleep....all different. Their moles and freckles are unique to them too. Anywho, ID look the same but are by no means, the same person!! Mine are very different in EVERY WAY...except their pretty little faces.

 

Our boys are ID and we've had comments from "how in the world do you tell them apart?" and g-ma *constantly* confuses them to "there's no way they're identical. Are you sure?" We never did testing but we know they're ID b/c we had TTTS during pregnancy (which only happens with IDs).

Ryan weighs 1-1/2 to 2 pounds lighter than Alec, he also has a thinner, longer face. Alec has a large mole/birthmark on his right inner upper arm and is a tad taller. Right now his hair is curlier but when they were younger Ryan had curlier hair. Go figure.

 

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ID look the same but are by no means, the same person!!

So true

MY girls , dh and I all get the comments too" How do you tell them apart" and " wow they really are identical" all the time. We never had them tested for ID or Fraternal. But they suffered from TTTS so there is no doubt that they are ID. They have their differnces, personalities and tastes in things. Shae has a small dimple in her right cheek and 2 matching birthmarks on her arms, as well as one that looks like a paw print. Irelynd has one birthmark similar to shaes but on her leg. I of course as their mom think they dont always look alike but then I have moments when I look at them together and say " Holy Crap you guys look alike".
I had an ID twin as a waitress and she said her ID twin has dimples and she doesnt. They had the DNA test done and they are for sure ID. So just like everyone else has said they can be ID and still have some differences.

 

The dimple issue is the same with our twins. Mary has a dimple in her left cheek and Mady does not have one. Sometimes we can see just a very slight indention in Mady's right cheek, but only when she smiles really big. The rest of the time she does not have one and we use this to tell them apart.

 

I think it would be hard for a parent to really tell, especially if the kids had the same hair and eye colors. Personality makes such a big difference in how a kids looks and that alone can make identicals look nothing alike. There have been many times I've questioned whether or not my two could be identical when I know for a fact that they are. It was just a couple of days ago that I got confused for the first time and that was only for a couple of seconds until Sierra spoke. Identicals haven't been exactly the same since that moment that the egg split and there are lots of envirnomental and genetic factors that have changed them to make them individuals.

 

My DD's are identical and most of the immediate family can tell them apart. Kaytlin looks more like her daddy and Alivea looks like me. Kaytlin's face is more oval, and Alivea's is more round. Strangers and most of my friends cant tell the difference but the people who see them the most can...

They had seperate placenta's and sacs and I was always told they were fraternal. After they were born, we couldnt tell them apart, and they had the same blood type. When they were 4 months old, we sent off for a DNA test and it came back ID.

 

I thought (b/c my OB told me) that if they shared a placenta (mine did) that they were ID. I never questioned it and am confused when people talk about DNA testing...Hmmmm...A & J look so much alike but have varying features as pp said (Julia has more hair and a wider smile; Annika looks a lot like her daddy, etc)...But, if I put a hat on them, it's almost impossible to tell who's who!!!!

 

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I thought (b/c my OB told me) that if they shared a placenta (mine did) that they were ID. I never questioned it and am confused when people talk about DNA testing


All babies who share a placenta are monozygotic. However, sometimes fraternal babies implant closely together and by the time they are born, the two placentas are one big mass and it can be difficult to tell whether it is one or two that "fused" or overlapped.

Then, there are the others of us who did testing because there were clearly two placentas but the babies looked so much alike that we thought they might be (30% of ID twins have their own placentas).

HTH!

 

We werent' sure what my twins were through most of my pregnancy. At my first u/s @ 17 weeks the doc said he thought he saw 2 placentas but wasn't sure. I would ask at every single u/s after that and they could never give me a definite answer. I always held out hope that they would be ID. I asked my ob who preformed my c-section if they would send the placenta for analysis since they couldn't tell me for sure if they were ID or fraternal and he did. It came back as Diamniotic and Monochorionic. They were ID. Which I had pretty much figured by then because I had no idea who was who LOL. They are now 3 and my husband still gets them mixed up at times. Even after Emma cut her hair shorter then Eliana's LMAO. I suspect my girls are mirror twins as well since they have different hand preferences, opposite hair swirls and the teeth came in on opposite sides.

 

Do they happen to have the same blood type? That is an indication that they are identical.

 

My girls are identical(had them tested 17months). Malena's face is a little longer in shape and Sofia's face is a little fuller..rounder. Malena has dimples all over her faces especially when she smiles. Sofia has no dimples on her face. Though they are identical they do have some differences. Many get them confused and I will be honest and say that I and daddy get them confussed at breif moments. Their blood is the same blood type. Its funny cause when I look at them standing next to eachother Malena looks like the smaller version of Sofia.

I know a set of twins who look like they could be identical(if your going by looks)and they are infact freternal.

So identical twins dont always have to look alike and freternals can end up looking more alike then identicals. It would be so much easier if you could by looks but a DNA test is the best way to tell for sure.

Cherie
ramzie
malena & sofia

 

This is all very insightful! Especially for us moms who don't know if they have identicals or fraternals. DH doesn't seem to think it really matters. I WANT to know.

I have 3 year old boys with all the same features...with some of the only differences being face shape, moles, weigh difference (2 lbs), height difference (1/2 inch, shoe sizes (1 size difference) and voice.

I can tell them apart about 99.99% of the time. The only time I am fooled is when they have a fresh hair cut....or I see their profile. If they are far away from me (like today at a toddler play date at church), I have to visually find the other one to figure out which one wanted my attention or listen carefully to the voice

There was a Harvard Twins study going on about 2.5 years ago that I tried to get into to. They compensation was a free zygosity test. Before I found out that they didn't qualify (because they were preemies), the grad student asked me questions about their, hair, eyes, and especially their ears and hands. Apparently, ears and hands can be a good way to help figure it all out without a DNA test.
I even ask the pedi. dentist about teeth and identical twins. He says that they aren't usually a good way to tell much. He has ID twins as patients - one had a severe cleft palate and the other one doesn't.....strange things can happen in the womb.

 

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Then, there are the others of us who did testing because there were clearly two placentas but the babies looked so much alike that we thought they might be (30% of ID twins have their own placentas).


That's us! We were told definatly fraternal because they were di/di. Well, look at my avatar We had them tested, they are ID. Their teacher that sees them everyday still has no idea who is who... Like the pp said, the only time I get them confused is when they have a fresh haircut... I have to take a double look. But normally, I can just tell. Don't ask me how, though I am asked that all the time. To me, Connor just LOOKS like Connor and Aaron LOOKS like Aaron. I can't explain it!