Have any moms of twins heard of the placentas merging during the pregnancy?

Elvy - posted on 09/17/2010

My boys had a placenta each but they fused very early on (were already fused by 12 weeks).

Crystal - posted on 09/11/2010

Apparently my identical girls placentas were fused at birth - we had lots of scans before birth but it wasn't picked up then (I spose there wasn't much room for viewing anything!) They were in different inner sacs but shared their outer sac & I was told that means they are identical - they certainly look it to outside people 23mths old now. They were born only 1oz apart but looking very different though - the nurses said they couldn't be identical - look at them! I'm grateful for the difference to begin with when I was getting to know them!

Rebecca - posted on 09/11/2010

It's normal, healthy and very common.

Krystle - posted on 09/09/2010

yes it happened to me i have boy/girl twins and the doctors newver knew that the placentas had merged until the day that i had my c-section at 39 weeks i wasnt even in labor i was told that there was maybe a 2 pound difference but at birth we saw the placentas had been fused togeather and my son was 8 pounds 12 ounces and my daughter was 4 pounds 6 ounces twice the difference i could have lost her

Angela - posted on 07/27/2009

i've heard that this can actually happen with identical twins as well. the egg can split completely, into 2 embryos with 2 separate placentas, then as they grow, they can grow and fuse together. we are still unsure if our 6 yr old boys are identical or fraternal. their placentas were together at birth and at every ultrasound, we were told the boys were identical because there was only one placenta. when they were born, the doc said they didn't look alike and the size difference was too much for them to be identical (5lbs 13oz and 4lbs 8oz). later, i read about ttts and wondered. as they get closer in size, they look more alike, so we may never know...

Ellie - posted on 07/27/2009

hi i had twin girls in jan at scan at 7 weeks told i had two placentas by the next scan and subsequntly they could not tell at birth only one huge placenta came out the doctor said they could have fused but was not sure so still dont know

Susan - posted on 07/26/2009

My fraternal twins had a merged placenta as well. I delivered them naturally and was awake to see it. My OB held it up to the light and I could clearly see the mucous membraine, exactly where they merged. It was cool neat...I was told it was common.

Anne - posted on 07/24/2009

yes, they told me my placentas merged and that was probably the reason the boy was so much smaller than the girl..I asked the doctor if there was anything wrong with the placenta(s) at my 6week check and the biopsy came back normal..

Gynette - posted on 07/23/2009

Happened with my twins too! They were born 9 weeks early, but healthy.

Kirsty - posted on 07/23/2009

It is common and normal for 2 placentas implanted on the same wall to "fuse" during pregnancy. I have fraternal twin girls whos' placentas were both implanted on the anterior wall of my uterus, they appeared to be "fused" at my 20 week scan and if not for my 12 week scan showing two distinctly seperate placentas...the doctors would not have known whether there was 1 or 2. The sonographer at my 20 week scan actually had to ask me whether there was 1 placenta or two, because it was impossible at that point to tell. My girls were only an ounce differnet in weight when born at 37+1 weeks and very healthy :)

Evelyn - posted on 07/22/2009

I had TTTS which is twin to twin transfusion syndrome. I had one placenta and my son got most of the blood flow. I read everything I could find on it when I was pregnant. Often times the smaller of the two will have an anomaly of some sorts. My daughter who was smaller ( only at birth!!!) has a kidney disorder that may or may not be related to the fact. She has never had a single problem with the kidneys even though they closely monitored her until she was 4.

Nicole - posted on 07/21/2009

This is VERY common with twins. Mine were both merged as well. My Ob told me, it is just a matter of lack of space for them to be separate. Mine were merged when I had an ultrasound at 12 weeks. My twins were born at 6 6 and 4 15, both are doing well.

Temeka - posted on 07/21/2009

The same thing happened with me during the birth of my fraternal twins. After the delivery the doctor had a hard time getting the placenta out and once it was out the size was massive. Thats when my doctor told me it appeared that both placentas fused together during my pregnancy. I'm happy to say that I gave birth to healthy 7lb 15 oz and 5lb 7 oz twins naturally and full term!! The only "problem" was one twin was fatter than the other. My daughters are still healthy at 13yrs and you would have never known that one used to be bigger!!.

Mary Alice - posted on 07/21/2009

My twins were born in 1990. There was one (very large) placenta, but they were in separate sacs. I was told at the time that one placenta means identical twins and two sacs means fraternal twins. The placenta was examined for a seam, but none was located. So, I guess they thought two placentas could have merged into one. We were told the only way to tell for sure that our sons are fraternal or identical would be DNA typing. We chose not to do that. I don't think they are identical.

Donelle - posted on 07/21/2009

I have heard of this, it happend to me early in my pregnancy as well. I was monitered closely because I was an automatic high risk. The boys did great for being 35 weeks. They were healthy. My singleton pregnancies my placenta would quit growing and lacked the nutrients to the babies but with the boys I felt great, I think with fraternal twins it is normal, it just depends where the placentas attach on the wall and as the babies grow the palcenta grows as well.

Jocelyn - posted on 07/21/2009

When my fraternal boys were born they told me my placentas had merged and it was a little over 3 lbs! I'm pretty sure they merged in the beginning of the 2nd trimester.The doctor said it was normal and didn't say anything was wrong with it or anything. But it could be why one twin was a little more than 1 lb heavier. They are 3 1/2 months old now and only about 1/2 off.

Jodie - posted on 07/21/2009

my placentas had joined together during my pregnancy but my consultants never seemed that worried! I have fraternal twin girls who were born at 38 weeks weighing 6lb and 6lb 6ounces! It was obvious that the placentas used to be separate but apparently its common because of the lack of space in the womb

Stacy - posted on 07/21/2009

sori ive never heard of this, i onli had one placenta but my twins wer identical, ur girls r cuteeee!!!!!!!!!!!!

Shelley - posted on 07/20/2009

My twins' placentas merged when I was pregnant. My dr was worried about one baby getting more nutrients than the other b/c of it, so they induced me one day prior to 37 weeks. It turned out that my son is just naturally a smaller person than my daughter, so they were really fine. I would assume it to be fairly common as 2 placentas take up a lot of room in there!!