Having twins: You've just found out

Having twins: Your first scan & questions to ask

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If you got pregnant through IVF the chances are you'd considered the possibility that you might end up pregnant with twins. But for parents that conceived naturally, it can be a huge surprise.

Once the initial shock has died down, there are likely to be a few questions you'll want to ask and we've got all the answers.

There are no twins in my family or my partner's, how did this happen?

Again, ruling out IVF, a family history is just one of the things that can affect your chances of having twins. Many people think that if there are twins in the man's family, this also makes it more likely but there's evidence to show that having a history of twins in the family is only relevant when it happens on the mother's side.

For those with no family link, your age and the amount of children you already have can also affect your chances of conceiving two at once. Women in their late 30s and those who have had children before have a higher chance of conceiving twins but if you still don't fit into any of these categories, then you may just be lucky (or unlucky) depending on how you look at it! Twins have been on the rise over the last 20 years and now roughly 1 in every 42 pregnancies results in twins, triplets or quads.

Will they be identical?

It can be hard to tell if your twins will be identical or not. If you're carrying boy/girl twins then obviously you'll know they won't be identical. Other than that, finding out has to be done quite early on.

At your first scan it's usually possible to tell if the babies have one placenta or two (but this becomes harder later on). One means they'll definitely be identical, but two can mean either identical or fraternal (non-identical).

Even when your twins are born it can be tricky to know if they're identical but a closer look at the placenta(s) or even a blood test should be able to confirm.

By Charlotte Gunn