In the past two decades, the number of twins has been steadily rising mostly due to advances in medical science such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) and a number of other social factors such as the trend towards older moms (women over 35 have a greater chance of hyperovulation). But with the explosion of the blogosphere, there’s also a rise in misinformation on twinning. I’m talking about blog posts that promote potentially dangerous techniques to women who want to deliberately conceive twins.
First, I need to make the distinction between writing about why some women find themselves pregnant with twins versus risky advice from nonmedical professionals on how to increase your chances of twinning. The former is merely an explanation for the rise while the latter is just irresponsible journalism often fraught with erroneous information. For instance, I recently read a blog post on a so-called healthy pregnancy website proclaiming getting pregnant with twins is an “even more wonderful experience than becoming pregnant with a singleton.”
Really?
So the increased chance of developing preeclampsia (dangerously high blood pressure that’s way more common in moms carrying twins), gestational diabetes, and even placenta previa (a condition where the placenta covers part of the cervix) are good things? (And don’t get me started on the enormous weight gain a mom with twins must sustain.) And what about twin fetuses? They also have their share of “excitement,” too, like twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS), intrauterine growth restriction (where one or both fetuses grow poorly), and even preterm birth.
But the blogger continues to encourage woman who desperately want to become pregnant with some “simple tips” on achieving a multiple pregnancy. Yet it’s one thing to suggest eating an abundance of yams (although the average woman would have to eat the cassava sweet potato from cradle to conception for the naturally occurring progesterone to have any effect) but it’s quite another to recommend using a progesterone cream or the prescription drug Clomid to help induce hyperovulation. Eating a plate full of yams every day may be just plain silly but at least it has no real negative effects. Playing around with hormones, on the other hand, is irresponsible and just downright dangerous.
But these misleading blog posts continue.
Another website suggests packing on some pounds might be the ticket to twins. The blogger goes on to suggest that the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology agrees with this “tip.” Although I’m sure ACOG recognizes that overweight women have a higher incidence of twinning, the organization doesn’t promote gross weight gain for the sake of achieving a multiple pregnancy.
Not long ago, I had the pleasure of interviewing Abigail Pogrebin, author of One and the Same: My Life as an Identical Twin and What I’ve Learned About Everyone’s Struggle to Be Singular. Her book not only examines her relationship with her identical twin sister but also takes a tough look at the rise in twinning. Although I absolutely love and whole-heartedly recommend this book, if you are currently pregnant with multiples, I’d hold off on reading it until your babies are born as the chapters on Risky Business: The Shoals of Birthing Twins and Twin Shock 101 are not for the faint of heart. Pogrebin doesn’t sugarcoat the fact that a twin pregnancy is often fraught with complications or that infant twins—many of whom are born with problems—can be an enormous disruption to the family.
When I asked her why she included these chapters, Pogrebin told me that she was startled at how sobering the facts on multiples pregnancies were and that she felt they were underreported in the media. “I think the full picture had been underplayed,” she said. “And I talked to a lot of parents [of twins] who wished there had been more honesty about what was at stake and what could be ahead.”
And there in lies my problem with bloggers who promote twin conception. They are misleading and prey on women who are desperate for any information on how to increase their fertility. And as twins become more commonplace, it seems that getting pregnant alone isn’t enough—now a woman needs two buns in the oven.
So what’s the take-away message from all of this? If you are having trouble conceiving, speak with your doctor first. And if you do look to the Internet for advice, always consider the source.
Even here.
Thank you! I cannot tell you how many women have said to me that they wish they could have twins too. You really don’t know until you go through it what the health risks are for you and the babies, not to mention how the first few months will BREAK YOU.
Thanks for stopping by!
As twins become more commonplace, it seems that it’s not enough to just get pregnant. Now you’ve got to get pregnant with twins. Maybe it’s our over-scheduled lives? Maybe women feel like, Ok, I’ll get the pregnancy over in one shot? Or could it be the twin mystique that’s so alluring? But many women don’t fully understand the risks involved (and frankly don’t want to hear them). My books have been criticized for laying out the problems that could happen to both moms and babies (just read a few on Amazon). But women need to know. That’s why I really liked the book, One in the Same. Pogrebin really gives it to the reader straight.
I have to say, while I was ttc my 2nd child I was on a lot of different forums and some were about ttc and clomid and such. People actually needed it just to get pregnant with one baby. I was reading along and noticed that the chances of having twins on Clomid was higher than without it and I wondered what it would be like to have twins. I got really obsessed after a few months TTC (you know how that can go! LOL). I was trying to find ways to lie to the doctor and try to get a script of Clomid. Not that I would actually go to the doctor and lie, it was just fun trying to come up with things. And besides (for all you readers who may actually try that, a doctor would most likely put you through a ringer of tests that you would have to pass/fail before getting a script..)
Anywho, we decided to stop ttc because my husband was about to deploy and we figured we would just pick up where we left off when he returned home but you know what they say…stop trying and just let it happen. Well, it did. We found out 2 days before he left that I was pregnant. Then, I kept having these “signs” that it was twins. Sort of like a premonition or something. I had a dream that I was pregnant with twins, BEFORE I even went to the doctor. My dream was of me in the delivery room holding a boy while my husband held a girl but he kept looking into her diaper and saying “She is supposed to be a boy.” Then at the doctors office, right before the 8 week ultrasound, he asked what I would do if it was twins. When he actually did the ultrasound and confirmed it, I was happy, scared, and a whole other host of emotions. I guess wishful thinking is another way to go about conceiving twins! LOL. By the way, they are both boys too!
I agree though, twins carries a higher risk for both mom and babies. I was diagnosed with severe pre-eclampsia at 34 weeks and 2 days. I delivered the next day because it had gotten worse. My boys spent 10 days (a) and 14 days (b) in the NICU.
There was also a whole other slew of problems from being preemies. The NICU stay for suck, swallow, breathe learning and eating enough food and temp regulation, and to gain weight (A was 5lb 3oz, B was 4lb 1oz) etc. Some very minor problems with just breathing too. That is why B stayed 14 days. He had an apnea spell on day 9 and went on a 5 day watch. They both also had hernias develop. A had an umbilical hernia and B had an inguinal hernia. B had to have surgery.
I never would have intentionally tried to get preggo with twins…no matter how much I wanted them. It was seriously just a coincidence….
Thanks for your input, Brittni. So glad it all worked out well for you and your babies! I think it’s a pretty new phenomenon that women are thinking of using Clomid to try and conceive twins. Like you said, most women use it to try to help getting pregnant with just one.
Hi, Christina,
Thanks so much for stopping by the blog for our MoMs group (bgmoms.wordpress.com). I just found your blog, and I really appreciate your content. And this is certainly a great post.
Although it’s not something I talk much about, my husband and I did eventually resort to IVF during our journey to conceive. We were blessed with twin girls. We were so fortunate that I carried them to 34.5 weeks and they required only a 10-day hospital stay after they were born, having no major complications.
I was really shocked when a very close friend of mine mentioned, of another couple who was in the IVF process, that they “were *also* trying for twins”. Sure, I joked (in very closed company) about getting two for the price of one, but there was no *trying* for two. We just wanted to get pregnant. And I think our fertility clinic was extremely responsible in evaluating numerous factors in making the decision on how many embryos to transfer.
In addition to the misinformation you wrote about, I think there can also be a misconception that women just do fertility drugs at will, because they want to…that it’s not a very serious venture. I don’t doubt there might be some questionable medical ethics in play here and there (i.e. “Octomom”), but my hope is that that is the rare exception, not the rule.
Your comments are spot-on! Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts (and stopping by my blog). Both are very much appreciated.
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So, i want twin girls when i’m older. the problem is my dad’s sister or cousin had twin girls and i don’t know if his whole family can have twins, including me. some friends are telling me to start knowing now for me to know what to do when it’s time. i was just now on Google finding ways to conceive identical twin girls when i saw this. do i or other girls need to eat yam ? is it healthy for the girl and her child ? is there other healthier ways to do so ? i know that taking pills to help you have twins are bad because you never know how much you will have and there can be some health problems. i just want twin girls (: so please help me , i need to know
Yams are a healthy food but I wouldn’t eat them with the intent on trying to conceive identical twin girls. First of all, no one really knows how much or how often you’d need to eat them to conceive twins! Second, identical twinning is an anomaly, a freak of nature. Only fraternal twins are the result of environment, diet, and age. My best advice? Have fun and don’t worry about conceiving twins at this point in your life. The time will come soon enough for children. Enjoy your youth.
Alright, thanks. i’ll try
nice post!
Hi .
my husband mother they are twins my mom’s bothers are twins and my dad’s sisters are twins and most of my dads familys are twins and i’m 34 years and my husband he is 36 years we would love to have twins pls can you advise us thanks.
Regards.
Warda Masoud
Wow, that’s a lot of twins but I’m not a doctor. Remember, too, a twin pregnancy is “high risk.”