Increasing the chances!

Fiona - posted on 10/20/2012

Twins do not run in our family yet I got pregnant with twins our 2nd pregnancy, I was 29, and during the ultra sound at 8 wks the dr said that they were fertilised a wk apart so I can only suggest lots of sex around ovulation to increase ur fertilisation chances.

Aliana - posted on 10/06/2012

wow thats awsome . and im 20 years old and trust me i have a son whos 8 mnths but i really am crazy for twins and i do want to give it a try in a year or two. for now its just my sons time:)

Aliana - posted on 10/06/2012

hi. To: Carla Thompson: You could try "The Yoruba tribe in West Africa has the highest rate of twinning in the world. Their diet , which is high in cassava ( a type of wild yam) is thought to be the cause. The skin of this vegetable is thought to contain a chemical that causes hyper ovulation naturally." i mean ive heard from many people taht it works so im gonna try to:)

Christina - posted on 09/29/2012

I have a 9 year old and a10year old , got endometriosis at 33 had surgery then tried conceiving with no luck. 4 months later doctor put melon clomid 50 mg, first time around and I am 5 weeks pregnant!!

Jennifer - posted on 09/15/2012

The specific type of yam (mentioned by Ciera W) is "Cassava" and people also often use the root, as well, boiling it into tea for the same purpose. Also, as everyone has mentioned, its only chances of fraternals that you can increase by releasing two eggs rather than one. I've heard you can do this by consuming more dairy(not fat free or reduced, go for the rich stuff!), cassava of course, being african american(not sure why, but they have a much higher rate of twins), folic acid, and believe it or not, being slightly overwight. Obesity would lessen your chances, as would being underweight, and although being at a perfectly healthy weight is never an issue or hindrance in this regard, women who have a BMI of around 30 seem to be more fertile on average. Early signs of a twin pregnancy, aside from the belly size difference, are pretty much the same as with a single pregnancy, just more intense. For example, extreme fatigue or dizziness and more intense nausea spells. Also, for any pregnancy, look for an increased sense of taste and/or smell. your body will naturally have these heightened senses as a way to make sure you don't ingest something bad that could harm the baby.. yeah, nature's awesome like that. Anyway, good luck, just don't stress about it too much.

Cat - posted on 09/28/2010

Sadly enough, I was told that one of the things that increases odds of twins is a miscarriage... I had one two months before I got pg with my fraternal twins... It was a Dr, not an OB who'd told me that, so I dont know how accurate it is... All I know is I have twins now, concieved naturally, after a loss... I was extremely lucky that I had a completely complication free pregnancy and labor, and went to 38 and a half weeks... Not everyone is that lucky, its a high risk pregnancy for a reason... I think that there are people out there who are slightly twin-obsessed, and i'm not sure if that's a good thing or bad thing... I wouldnt change my life for anything, I love my girls, but they're two right now, in the middle of potty training, and some days I want to run away screaming at the top of my lungs lol

Carla - posted on 09/28/2010

I wouldn't even think about taking clomid! Also i am very happy with the child i have, i have my reasons and it has nothing to do with the cute factor, i have talked to many mums with twins also with premature twins as well

Kimberly - posted on 09/21/2010

Don't do it. With multiples comes multiple risk. They can come early, they can have all kinds of learning problems because of this. Besides the fact that caring for twins, even full term twins is a lot of work. The cute factor wears off quickly. Be greatful if you can have children many women cannot.
Yes clomid will increase your chances of twins but I doubt any doctor will give it to you without a medical reason. You might want to examine your reason for wanting twins and talk to some twin moms, espcially if they are moms of former premies.

Laura - posted on 09/21/2010

I wouldn't take red raspberry leaf if i were you...it can cause you to miscarry.
Twins can also skip a generation or two. The last twins on my side was my great great great grandfather.
I love my boys and wouldn't trade them for the world..but i did almost die when i had them so be prepared ahead of time to lay in bed for months if you have to or not be able to pick up your other children for awhile...it's all worth it in the end but just make sure you are totally prepared for everything that goes along with it:-)

Kristina - posted on 09/20/2010

Heather, just an FYI: the only influence the father's genes has is whether his sperm is strong enough to get one sperm to each egg. Women hyperovulate more than we realize, but only 1 in 90 pregnancies results in twins.

Heather - posted on 09/16/2010

Your chances of having identical twins are 3%. Identical twins are a random occurence so there is a universal chance no matter what you do. Fraternal twins do run in families, but they come from the woman's side because they are caused when you release multiple eggs, your Father's side has no effect because men don't release eggs. After age 35 and older your chance increase significantly. There is also a higher chance if you conceive on birth control or immediately after stopping birth control because it can cause you to release more eggs. I know this sounds like an old wives tale, but it's actually not - eating yams does increase your chance of twins. There is a tribe somewhere that has a diet consisting of mainly yams that has the highest rate of twin of any group of people. I would definately stay away from the Clomid because you have to be very carefully monitored on that stuff or you could end up with 6! LOL! Good Luck!

Carla - posted on 09/08/2010

Wow thank you for this, i will be defiantly changing my OB when i finally get pregnant again

Iridescent - posted on 09/03/2010

You might want to consider a different OB if they said the limit for safe pregnancies with a C-Section is 2. I've had 3 and was told I can honestly safely have as many as I like, because they're performing the surgery correctly and completely. Not all doctors do. It's quite common in the US to train surgeons to do C-Sections with shortcuts that really shouldn't be taken, such as not fully cleaning out the uterus after delivering (hence the huge rates of retained placenta), simply tacking the uterus shut with a few stitches vs performing stitches across the entire incision (this causes other organs to become scarred into and a part of the uterine wall, as with my first C-Section in which the uterus healed with the bladder due to this), failure to remove scar tissue from previous C-Sections during the procedure (just laziness of the surgeon), and closure externally with a running stitch or stitches (or DermaBond if appropriate for you), vs staples which are commonly removed prior to being healed well enough for it to be completely safe.

Carla - posted on 09/03/2010

Yes i know twins are high risk but I'm willing to take the chances and the odds...
Both my mum and my brother were fraternal twins, TBH it's not the cute fact of twins i want, it's the challenge of having them and watching them grow, my one year old is very advanced for his age..
Also i have been told because of a previous C-Section, i should only have one more pregnancy/birth.. So we would love to have 3 children not just the two

Kristina - posted on 09/02/2010

The only things I know of that increase your odds of fraternal twins are: increased maternal age (the older you are, the more likely you will double-ovulate), it is not your first pregnancy, and already having had twins.
Mine were naturally conceived, so I just happened to release two eggs that cycle. You say twins run in your family: are they fraternal? Only fraternal twins run in families because the tendency to hyperovulate is inherited. So is strong sperm, meaning you can give your spouse two targets to hit, but he may not necessarily hit them. ;) Identical twins are a fluke that occurs evenly across all cultures/races.
I don't know of any other natural factors; only infertility treatments.
And I will reiterate...watch what you wish for. I have so many people say to me, "Oh you're so lucky, I always wanted twins." The idea of twins is very romantic, but it really is twice the work/effort/stress etc of a singleton. I wouldn't trade my twins for the world, but it's certainly been no cakewalk.

Brianna - posted on 09/02/2010

Be careful what you wish for! A twin pregnancy is considered "high risk" for a reason and is no walk in the park. There are no twins on my side of the family, however my husband's family has lots of them. I was on birth control pills for months before deciding to stop taking them and I got pregnant the first month I was off them, resulting in a twin pregnancy. The doctor said sometimes after stopping birth control pills you release more eggs that very first month which can result in a multiple pregnancy. Good luck to you.

Ciera - posted on 09/01/2010

There are risks but there are risks in any pregnancy. I have four friends who have had twins along with myself in the last year and a half and every single one of us went to at least 36 weeks and had no problems throughout the pregnancy. All were fraternal. I know that identicals tend to hae more complications but there is nothing you can do to increase your chances of identicals, only frat. I have loved every moment of the twins from the pregnancy and through all 19 of their months. I would love to have another set but now that I just had a single baby 2 weeks ago, I doubt my husband will want any more children. No matter what you do to try to increase your chances, nothing is certain, only theoretical. But if it is something you really want, go for it! In a lot of ways twins are so much easier than one. You get all the love doubled but the work load isn't quite doubled since everything is done at the same time! Good luck!

Rebecca - posted on 09/01/2010

I agree with Tracy -- the concept of twins is a lot rosier than the reality. A twin pregnancy is a difficult pregnancy and it's not uncommon for one or both babies to have problems as a result. Plus, the chances of preeclampsia, etc. are much higher, which can have long-term consequences on your health. Why would you wish that upon yourself? It's much easier to do it one at a time. I'm pregnant with my second set of twins and, frankly, I would love to NOT be pregnant with twins again.

Tracy - posted on 08/31/2010

This may sound harsh, but I think sometimes people think twins are so "cute" they forget that they are wishing upon themselves a high-risk pregnancy. I was about the only one in my multiples birth group who didn't have any episodes of PTL and there were several sets in the group born very prematurely with extended stays in the NICU. My twins were thankfully born full-term with no complications but it took a very big toll on my body, and that was with an uneventful pregnancy. If it is meant to be, it will be, but please think through both sides of the issue.

Carla - posted on 08/30/2010

Thank you for all this ladies, I'm taking 2 folic acid tablets a day, and have twins in the family, i have had 3 pregnancies so far 2 ended in MC
and one healthy boy..
I've been looking for these Yams but can't find them so may just try normal yams

Ciera - posted on 08/29/2010

there's some kind of sweet potato you can eat that comes from Nigeria. you can google it I'm sure but it is supposed to help the chances of twins. I guess the place in Nigeria that it comes from has the highest rate of twins in the world and by more than quadruple the average of the rest of the world. I don't remember what kind of sweet potato but it seems like it started with the letter "C". Like "carrava" or something??? anyways, that is the only natural thing you can "take" that I have ever heard of. Sounds like your chances are pretty good though based on genetics. I don't have twins anywhere in mine OR my husband's family and we had fraternals anyways without any kind of "help".

Tracy - posted on 08/29/2010

Have you heard about Yams increasing your chances of twins?

http://forums.fertilitycommunity.com/off...

Also weight might be a factor so eat well!!

http://www.pregnancy-info.net/increasing...

Other things that MIGHT increase the chances of hyperovulation are increased dairy intake, folate and calcium tablets. I also read online red raspberry leaf and chaste tree berry along with green tea, nettle leaf, ladies mantle and evening primrose might help. Can't comment on the validity on any of these things though.

I have twins and did have yams a couple times the month I got pregnant. Didn't know the supposed yam connection at the time.

Pip - posted on 08/29/2010

The Dr's told me that your chances increase when you have already had a few pregnancies and your older (like over 30). I had my twins at 37 yrs old and they were my 5th and 6th children. Good luck though

Emma - posted on 08/29/2010

they say the more children you have and the older you are can increase your chances! i have a 3 year old daughter and had her when i was 24 but had 2 other pregnancies prior to that that i wont go into then got preg with the twins at 26 so this was my 4th pregnancy, plus my father was a fraternal twin and the gene passes down the female side so it passed to me not always but it can pass down that way! i was pregnant with in 2 mnths of coming off the pill and i have also heard tht if you gt preg within first few mnths of coming off the pill your body is still out of sync so could release more eggs! i believe this may have happened to me but my father may also influence it i just dont know! hope this helps!

Carla - posted on 08/29/2010

No i won't take clomid i've herd bad things about it so won't take the stuff and your right the doc won't prescribe it x

Jessica - posted on 08/29/2010

Its true that Clomid increases your chances for multiples as that is what I took when I got pregnant with my twins. however, you probably want to talk to your doctor to prescribe it to you as any medication has certain risks and side effects, but I didn't experience any. But remember that your doctor may not prescribe it just so you can have twins because its used as a treatment for infertility and most doctors won't prescribe a medication simply because its requested, especially when the result you are desiring would put you in a high-risk pregnancy category.

Ruth - posted on 08/28/2010

I don't know if there is anything you can take but, I read in a magazine that your chances increase significantly after 30. Said that you release more eggs.