Facts about twins and twins. More than half of twins are born with low birth weight, which can cause various health problems, such as asthma, for example. Chances of having twins

In ancient times, twins were considered supernatural people. They excited the minds and became the prototypes of gods and mythological creatures. In legends, twins are described as warriors or great healers, and the Indians believed that a twin was a salmon in human form.

Today, twins are also attracting everyone's attention. And although science has already found an explanation for their origin, people still perceive the birth of twins as a gift of fate.

Gemini - who is it?

The most accurate description is children born in one pregnancy. Gemini are classified as identical and fraternal. Identical twins develop from one cell, which determines their external 100% similarity at birth. The twins are close both physically and spiritually. It has been noticed that they often simultaneously fall ill and are able to feel each other's experiences.

Fraternal twins more commonly referred to as twins. They are similar to each other, like other brothers and sisters, develop in the womb from different eggs and are heterosexual. There are also known cases when twins were found to have different genetic fathers... This happens if a woman had more than one partner, and in different time 2 different eggs were fertilized. But doctors recorded only 3 such cases.

Mirror twins are also born. This means that the children seem to be a reflection of each other, one is left-handed, the other is right-handed, moles are located on opposite sides, and even in the face, all the features seem to be mirrored. Scientifically proven that this is a consequence of the delayed separation of the egg.

Is it easy to distinguish between twins?

At birth, it is extremely difficult to distinguish between twins, especially for strangers. Physically, identical twins can only be distinguished by their fingerprints, since fingerprints depend not only on DNA and are formed depending on the location of the baby in the womb. Also, twins have different navels, since this is also a non-genetic factor.

In childhood emotional attachment the twins are noticed by everyone. Sometimes they even pretend to be each other, thus confusing parents and loved ones.

Ena and Lily are the oldest twins in the world

V kindergarten or in primary school students and teachers have difficulty distinguishing between twins, trying to find any external differences... True, with age, this problem ceases to exist. Environment and internal features take their toll and, growing up, the twins become personalities, with individual tastes and abilities. Everyone has their own style of behavior, thoughts, plans and life goals.

The relationship of twins throughout life

Science has proven that the electrical activity of the brain is almost identical in twins, this factor explains the sensitive understanding of each other and the ability of one twin to guess the thoughts and desires of the other.

In childhood, twins are inseparable, therefore, their socialization is slower than that of other children. There are cases when the twins developed their own language and communicated only in it, without even coming into contact with their mother.

Parents love to emphasize twins the same. appearance... But this can lead to negative consequences when one twin does not associate themselves separately from the other. They begin to respond only when they call both of them, even confuse themselves in the mirror image. Such children have no idea that in the future they will have to lead their lives separately.

True with transitional age this connection is lost and everyone wants to become independent. But nevertheless, the twins do not cease to sharply feel each other, even at a distance. They often catch colds at the same time, and if one is experiencing severe stress, then the other will feel the same. There is a known case when the twins decided to play the lottery (independently of each other), both chose the same numbers and won.

Similar situations in the world enough Even the biographies of twins, separated in childhood, are similar. True, science has not put forward any clear explanation for this. Perhaps this is just a coincidence, but the connection between twins, which accompanies them throughout their lives, cannot be ruled out either.

Siamese twins are usually called identical twins, the egg of which in the womb is not completely divided. Therefore, Siamese twins develop common body parts or internal organs... The twins can grow together from the waist to the sternum, by the area chest, back or even head.

Statistics show that 1 case of Siamese twins is born in every 200,000 births. True, 50% of them are immediately doomed to death.

Previously, the only way for Siamese twins was to go to the circus or to the fair. Today they are classified as disabled and receive help needed from the state. Surgeons, on the other hand, try to give such children a chance to live fully and perform separation operations. And although the percentage of successful operations is small, most twins agree to them, understanding and accepting all the risks, since they simply cannot lead such a life.

The intended operation to separate twins is not always implemented in practice. If they have one heart, liver or other vital organs, then this is impossible. Sometimes only these operations are performed in order to save at least one child.

If we talk about the characters of Siamese twins, then they are also extremely opposite. This applies not only to behavior, but even culinary preferences. For example, the Siamese twins Abigail and Brittany Hensel: Abigail loves milk, and her sister Brittany cannot stand it.

Amazing facts about twins

• Women may have a genetic predisposition to having twins, but this is not the case for identical twins. The appearance of identical twins is the result of the accidental division of the egg cell.
• V Latin America the lowest birth rates of twins were recorded.
• In contrast, Central Africa has the highest twin fertility rate.

• From the 1st to the 7th of August, there are the festive "days of the twins". At this time, festivals and meetings are organized in their honor, without restrictions on age and nationality.
• Statistics show that moms of twins live longer.
• The concept of “vanishing twin syndrome” is known - a process when ultrasound first determines 2 ambions, and then only 1. In this case, the embryo is either aborted (an abortion occurs) or one absorbs the other.

Although today the origin of twins is thoroughly studied by science, their birth is perceived as a miracle. Parents should only remember that there are 2 individual person and the differences between them just need to be highlighted and emphasized.

In ancient myths, twins were spoken of as people who were gifted by God. At all times, the birth of such children was an extraordinary event.

Today there are about 80 million pairs of twins in the world. But until now, their birth is shrouded in some mystery, because scientists have not figured out the exact reason for the appearance of twins.

Features of twins

Twins can be distinguished by their fingerprints, because they have different drawing... The navels also differ in these babies. All people on Earth have a unique scent, but only twins smell the same. They also have the same phobias, for example, fear of heights, confined spaces, and others. Sometimes twins think and feel the same way. And twins' DNA is always identical.

In Brazil, on April 22, 1946, Signora Bakakey gave birth to 2 boys and 8 girls at once. This is considered a world record.

Your language

Gemini in early childhood speak their own language. Scientists call it cryptophasia. About 40% of twins speak it.

Women who have given birth to twins tend to live longer.

Communication in the womb

The twins begin to communicate with each other in their mother's belly. The researchers concluded that this occurs in embryos as early as 14 weeks. With the help of ultrasound, it is clear that the twins touch each other and even gesticulate amusingly.

Maddalena Pomegranate from Italy gave birth to triplets 15 times in the 19th century.

Twins Jim Lewis and Jim Springer were separated in early childhood and adopted by different people... However, their lives were strikingly similar. Both boys had a dog named Toy in childhood, both married twice, the first wife was Linda, and the second Betty. The twins smoked cigarettes, drank beer, and drove the same brands. Scientists find it difficult to explain these coincidences.

I look into you like in a mirror….

A quarter of twins are mirror images of each other. That is, if one child has a mole on right cheek, the second will be on the left. If one twin is right-handed, the other will be left-handed. This happens if the fertilized cell divides a week later than necessary. If this happens even later, then the risk of having Siamese twins will increase.

American Indians believed that in a couple, one twin is kind and the other is evil. Because of this, the evil twin was kicked out of the tribe.

Disappearing Twin

Few people know, but one in every eight pregnancies begins as multiple pregnancies. Although twins are born only in 1 case in 70 births. This phenomenon is called vanishing twin syndrome. In the first trimester of pregnancy, one of the embryos can be engulfed by the second twin or the placenta. It is still not known exactly why this is happening. Perhaps a genetic failure, or simply the strongest wins.

Who among us has never dreamed of a twin brother or sister at least once in our life? After all, then you can cheat and joke with others, and you also have another friend you can trust. For many, having a replica of their own seems fun, exciting. So, let's find out more about the life of such people.

We present to your attention the most interesting facts about twins:

• 1. If we compare the birth rate with 1980, then, according to statistics, it has increased. Twins are born today 75% more often than in the previous century.

• 2. Also, as we learned, not only genetics affects the possibility of having twins, but also the number of births that have already taken place and age. Twins are usually born to women over the age of 30.

• 3. Did you know that average duration twin pregnancy is 9 months and 3 days. At the same time, the most favorable weight gain for the mother is 20.41 kg.

• 4. One of the characteristics of twins is that they have their own language. However, it only manifests itself during the period when they begin to speak. Usually, at first, children pronounce the words incorrectly and indistinctly. Many people still cannot understand them. But the twins still understand each other, and therefore, it seems that they have their own language.

• 5. Scientists have found out the following interesting fact about the twins. As it turned out, about a quarter of the total number of twins are a mirror copy of their brother or sister. What is meant? If, for example, one child has a mole on the right cheek, then the second will have it on the left. Or if one twin is right-handed, then the other is left-handed.

• 6. And here's a note of information on how to distinguish twins. Pay attention to the fingers, their prints will be very different. It should be noted that their DNA has the same structure.

• 7. But if during pregnancy at 24 weeks you have added about 10 kg, then most likely your babies will be born without complications, because studies have shown that such women in labor are less likely to have premature birth and other pathologies.

• 8. Note to those who want to give birth to twins. Those mothers who are pregnant with twins are more closely monitored. They are more likely to undergo ultrasound, they are prescribed many different tests and analyzes.

• 9. Did you know that Elvis Presley had a twin sister. However, she died after birth.

• 10. Statistics have shown another interesting fact. According to data in Nigeria, for every 20 births, 1 is the birth of twins.

Interesting video about twins from National Geographic... Twins' secrets revealed!

Birth of twins is a fairly common phenomenon. For many centuries, scientists have been struggling with the question of why the birth of twins in a particular woman depends, but it has not been possible to find an unambiguous answer to this question, although most of them associate this with genetic predispositions, and also, oddly enough, with the age of the mother.

According to some reports, the age is not less than important criterion affecting the birth of twins, triplets, etc. Statistics confirm that the most a large number of births of twins were noted in mothers aged 37-38 years, and after this age the number multiple births decreased greatly.

Of course, statistics do not take into account such a phenomenon as multiple pregnancy as a result of IVF. Quite often, twins and twins are born in couples who have been treated for infertility: sometimes the release of two or more eggs during ovulation is triggered by taking special drugs. And in cases where eggs are fertilized "in vitro" (this is called "in vitro fertilization", that is, fertilization "outside the body"), a woman is usually implanted with several embryos at once - God forbid, that at least one "hooked". It happens that more than one takes root - and the once sterile spouses suddenly become parents of two (or even three!) Babies at once.

According to some scientists, the frequency of birth of twins and twins depends to some extent on the place of residence of their parents. In countries with a temperate climate, the frequency is slightly higher than in countries with a hot climate, according to a group of specialist scientists.

In 1895, the French biologist D. Ellin formulated a pattern in the birth of twins, according to which there is one twins per 85 ordinary births, one triplets per 85 twins, 4 twins per 85 triplets, etc. To put it simply, twins occur in 85 births, triplets in almost 7,000 births, and quadruples in 680,000 births.

I look at you like in a mirror ...

Where do twins and twins come from?

With twins, the situation is much simpler. As a rule, in a healthy woman of childbearing age once a month, one egg matures, from which, in case of fertilization, one child is born. But sometimes it happens that not one, but two eggs come out of the ovaries at the same time. If, by the will of fate, spermatozoa "catch up" with them and both embryos successfully attach to the mucous membrane of the uterus, then two children are born at once. Even if they are of the same sex, they are still different. That is, they are similar, as ordinary sisters or brothers would be.

Multiple births statistics

In Austria, a certain Mrs. Scheinberg gave birth 27 times, gave birth to 69 babies, and 4 times she gave birth to 4 children, 7 times to 3 and 16 times to 2.
Another Austrian in 11 births gave birth to 3 twins, 6 triplets and 2 quadruples.
For many years in Russia, in one of the clinics, a lady was under the supervision of doctors who gave birth to 6 twins, 7 triplets and 4 quadruples (total: 49 children).

In 1755, a peasant from the village of Vvedensky Yakov Kirillov, 60 years old, was introduced to the court of Empress Elizabeth. He was married a second time, his first wife gave birth to 57 living children in 21 pregnancies, the second gave birth to 15 children in 7 pregnancies, and from two wives Kirillov had 72 children.

José Pulido, a Spanish shepherd from the province of Cordoba, was awarded as early as 107 summer age the Father of the Year award. His three wives bore him 36 children: the first thirteen, the second eleven, and the third twelve.

In the late 70s of the last century, according to Muslim customs, the Sudanese Bishara Mohammed el Shayeb married four women. All four spouses bore him two sons.

The scientific literature indicates that by the end of the Second World War, a little more than 6 cases of the birth of 6 twins were known. However, in 1965, six twins were born in Humant, Brazil. In Faridipur District (Pakistan) in 1967, a young woman gave birth to six boys. In 1974, Suzanne Roznkowitz (25 years old) from the town of Kopstadt (Germany) gave birth to 3 girls and 3 boys at a time. In 1983, a woman from Blankenberg (Belgium) gave birth to six babies (5 boys and one girl).

Claude Adam, a 29-year-old Frenchwoman, became the mother of six twins. In one of the Parisian maternity hospitals, she gave birth to two boys and four girls. The weight of newborns ranges from 1320-1470 grams. All children are healthy. This is the first recorded birth of six children in France.

But six children at a time is not the limit. In the German city of Chamelon, there is a bas-relief with the signature: "When the year 1600 came, on January 9 in the morning, she gave birth to two boys and five girls." Although, apart from the bas-relief, there is no documentary confirmation of this fact.

But at the beginning of the 20th century, 6 cases of the birth of 7 twins were already officially registered. Medicine claims that there are known cases of birth and eight twins, but this is already hard to believe.

Interesting Facts
Joanne and Alexandru Bagwell, born on June 2, 1993 in England, 114 days ahead of schedule.

Longest interval between births of twins. Mrs. Peggy Lynn gave birth to daughter Hannah on November 11, 1995 and her brother Eric on February 2, 1996, 84 days later.

The tallest male twins are Americans Michael and James Lanier, each 2 meters 24 cm tall. Women are Heather and Heidi Burg (195 cm). Heidi played for the WNBA women's basketball team for the Los Angeles Sparks from 1997-1998.

The shortest twins among men today are John and Greg Rice from the United States, their height is only 86 cm, and among women - American Doreen Williams and Darlene McGregor (125 cm). But the record for short stature belongs to the brothers Matyush and Bele Matina, who were born in Hungary and moved to the United States. Their growth in mature age was 51 cm.

The least weighed at birth were Anna Faith Sarah (400) and John Alexander (430) Morrisons. They were born in Canada on January 14, 1994. Before them, Roshan Marelin (490) and Melanie Louise Gray (born in Australia in 1993) had the flyweight.

The twins who were born to Mrs. Haskin on February 20, 1924 in Arkansas had the greatest birth weight - together the babies weighed 12.5 kg.

The heaviest twins in adulthood are Billy and Benny McCrey (born December 7, 1946), weighing 337 kg. and 328 kg. respectively. They developed like normal children until the age of 6 and began to put on a lot of weight after they got rubella. Billy died in a car accident in 1979.

The record for life expectancy among female twins belongs to Japanese women Kin Narita and Jin Kani, who were born on August 1, 1892 in Nagoya. Keane died on January 23, 2000 from cardiac arrest at the age of 107. (By the way, in Japanese, their names mean: Kin - gold, Jin - silver). Women managed to live in the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries.

The brothers Eli Shadrak and John Meshark Phillips, who were born on February 14, 1803, in Virginia, lived the longest of all men. Eli passed away when he was 108 years and 9 days old.

Of the currently living male twins, the oldest are Lee and Sam DeSpane from Kentucky, who celebrated their 98th birthday on January 13, 2000.

Among women, Gertrude Blesingheim and Pearl Dew from Arkansas hold the palm. The sisters were born on July 27, 1899 and are now 101 years old.

The youngest mother of twins was British citizen Nicola Dougherty, who gave birth to the girls Courtney and Caitlin on April 20, 1997, when she was 14 years old. Her compatriot James Sutton became the father of twins Leah and Louise at the age of 13 (his mother was his 17-year-old girlfriend). It happened in 1999.

The twins Iris Jones and Aro Campbell have not seen each other for the longest time. They were separated on January 13, 1914, and the meeting took place 75 years later, in 1989.

The most similar friend John and William Riff from Pennsylvania are recognized as twins in the world. From 1957 to 1996, they won the title of "Most Alike" 22 times in the Identical Twins Competition.

The most a big difference in height between twins is fixed between Don Coeler and his sister. Both were born in Denton, Montana in 1925. Don began to grow abnormally quickly at the age of 10, and by the end of his life (1981) he was 2m 50cm tall. (there was only one person above him in the 20th century). The height of his sister was 1m 75cm, i.e. the difference in height was 75 cm.

The oldest mother of the twins is named Lin Fu-Mei. She is from Taiwan. She gave birth to twins when she was 59 years old. Jody Cates from USA gave birth to twins at 58 years old.

The most famous of the Siamese twins are Chang and Eng Bankers (11.05.1811-17.01.1874). They were married to sisters Sarah and Adelaide Yates of North Carolina and toured with the Barnum & Bailey Circus. They had 21 children. They lived 63 years and 8 months, which is the record for life expectancy among Siamese twins. Read more about their life story here….

On November 19, 1997, seven twins were born to the McCogay family from Iowa (USA): Kenneth Robert (1475), Alexis May (1220), Natalie Sue (1190), Chelsea Ann (1050), Brandon James (1305) , Nathan Roy (1445) and Joel Stephen (1335).

First case happy birth eight twins recorded in Houston, Texas on December 20, 1998. Parents - Nkem Chukwu (mother) and Hayk Luis Udi (father). Despite the beautiful medical care, the smallest of the children of Oder (the name means "My life belongs to God") died on December 27, on the 7th day of her life. All children were given the names of the Ibo tribe (Nigeria), where the parents come from. Total weight children at birth was a little over 4.5 kg. On the site you can find the latest information about the health of the "eight".

Another 9 cases of the birth of eight children were recorded at the same time, but there were never without the deaths of at least two babies during childbirth.

There are known cases of pregnancies, well, very multiple pregnancies.

However, in none of the cases it was never possible to save all the children: either all those born died during childbirth or in the first hours after them, or the mother gave consent to medical intervention to leave 2 to 4 babies in the womb, or miscarriages have occurred.

The largest number of births during one birth was recorded in Brazil on April 22, 1946 (2 boys and 8 girls), but it is not known whether any of the children survived, just as the fate of the other two "ten" is unknown (in Spain in 1924 and in China in 1936.)

Cypriot Zoe Eftstatiu at the age of 23 conceived 11 children (in 1996), after completing the course hormonal treatment... She agreed to keep 4 children out of 11, but the outcome of the pregnancy is unknown.

In 1988, in Switzerland, a woman could not bear 12 children. She had a miscarriage.

On July 22, 1971, 15 embryos (10 girls and 5 boys) were removed from the womb of a 35-year-old woman from Rome.

15 surprising facts about twins!

Can twins have different biological fathers?

Every month, one egg appears in a woman's body, which can be fertilized by one sperm. However, sometimes there are two eggs, each of which can get its own sperm - including it can be two sperm from two different partners.

Can twins be of different races?

If the parents of twins are of different races, their eggs and sperm contain genetic potential. different colors skin. There are a million potential outcomes for twins in this case. Situations where both of them bear only signs of the same race are rare enough.

There are many stories around the world about twins who, for one reason or another, were separated in childhood, but nevertheless, the life of one of them was practically a reflection of the life of the second. Sometimes these similarities go beyond mere coincidence - for example, marriages with women who are called by the same name, the same names that they give children, the same professions and even simultaneous illnesses.

Cousins ​​born of twins are genetically related

If male identical twins and female identical twins decide to have children, legally children from both couples will cousins or sisters, but genetically indistinguishable from siblings

Since the genetic makeup of identical twins is identical, if two pairs of identical twins have children, their children will have the same genetic makeup as their cousins.

Having twins prolongs life

It is believed that a woman who gives birth to twins in general healthier than women who fail, since twins are an evolutionary trick in an attempt to replicate a healthy mother's set of genes twice in a single pregnancy.

Who is more likely to have twins?

Tall women are more likely to have twins. Countries where women are taller than average also have high rates on the birth of twins. Have tall people- high concentration of growth hormone; in women, growth hormone increases the likelihood of conceiving twins.

For women who eat a lot of dairy products, the likelihood of having twins is also increased.

Women who eat a lot of animals, including dairy products, are five times more likely to conceive twins than others.

If a woman is a twin herself, then she is more likely to give birth to twins.

Also, this probability increases if she already has twin children or siblings who are twins.

Gemini begin to interact in the womb

According to an Italian study, twins start touching each other as early as 14 weeks. By week 18, they are touching their twin more than themselves. Interestingly, at the same time, they are quite gentle with each other.

"Mirror Twins"

Gemini can be mirror images of each other. Then they are called "mirror twins". About a quarter of twins interact in the womb upside down and literally become a reflection of each other. One of them becomes left-handed, the other - right-handed; they also have moles and birthmarks in mirror order.

Gemini can read each other's minds

Some Siamese twins can see each other's eyes and read each other's minds. Some twins who have fused heads grow together in the thalamus. The thalamus is the part of the brain that controls sensation and muscle responses. As a result, one siamese twin can look through the eyes of another, read the thoughts of another and feel what the other feels.

A woman's body can adapt to twins

If a mother is breastfeeding two twins, her breast regulates the temperature of the milk in individual mode for each of the children.

How to distinguish between twins?

Looking at the navel is the easiest way to distinguish between twins. Umbilicals are not genetically determined; they are scars left over from tying the umbilical cord. Each navel is slightly different from the others.

Twins' fingerprints

Even identical twins have different fingerprints.

This happens despite the same DNA, as our fingerprints are formed when we touch the amniotic sac in embryonic state. His unique shape determines what the baby's fingerprints will be.

Gemini - left-handed

Twins are twice as likely to be left-handed as ordinary people.

Twins can be born several months apart

Because of various complications, for example, such as premature effusion amniotic fluid Sometimes the birth of twins can be weeks or even months apart. The registered record for such a difference is 87 days, that is, almost three months!

Identical twins can become elusive criminals

Because their DNA is 99.9% similar, experts can spend a lot of time figuring out who is to blame if both are in denial. Thus, both of them can remain at large for as long as possible during the investigation.