One of the things that strikes me the most when I browse forums about motherhood for twins, multiples, and multiple births is when I read a woman say: “I want to have twins.” And occasionally, they have called me to ask questions about the recipe after seeing this post. Twins ignite passions, one of the most wonderful experiences we can live through. And also a particularly intense, tough, and exhausting experience. Being a mother of twins or multiples doesn’t change the world, and it must be accepted as it is. Is it possible to achieve this? Is there a magic formula? Today, I’m giving you some hints about what is known on this subject.
Read also : What diet should I follow to have twins?
The first time I read it, I found it funny. Was there really a recipe for having twins that wasn’t? Did you know? Photo published with the kind permission of David Castillo Dominici on FreeDigitalPhotos.net
I don’t know if there will be one or not, but I really wanted to be a mother after my first loss, and I have always been amazed to have twins, to the point of telling my mother the same words that illustrate this blog today.
Mom, I want to have twins.
Will that be enough?
Factors Predisposing to Twin Pregnancy
When I was looking for my second pregnancy, I was desperate because I must say I’m a restless idiot and I want everything now. I was impatient and didn’t know what to do anymore.
Although I expressed at the time that I wanted to have twins, at that moment, I wasn’t looking for something so special, but it happened. And I don’t know if it was that tumaca bread, which they told me was aphrodisiac or what 😯, but instead of one, two came.
Will the tumaca bread be part of the recipe?
I can’t guarantee that it’s the magic recipe for achieving a twin pregnancy, as that would be very unprofessional of me. I think my family origins had more weight than that delicious tomato bread and the desire we put into it.
😆 If you want to be a mother of twins or multiples, it seems you need to have certain factors on your side, although for identical twins, all women seem to have exactly the same predisposition, although some data also speaks of a certain genetic factor.
What I’m mainly talking about is having twins. After all, there are two.
Age
This may be the main factor in being a mother of twins or multiples.
style=”text-align: justify; “>Age is linked to fertility. After 35, our reproductive capacity is severely reduced, and the chances of pregnancy are reduced by nearly 50%.
But we have an advantage, as you can ovulate twice, as if you wanted to enjoy the time before completely running out of rice.
Multi-ovulation is the answer to the phenomenon of twins, two babies resulting from two female cells meeting two sperm.
The highest number of multiple births occurs just after the age of 35 and up to 40, with the incidence of these births being almost twice as high due to multiple ovulations, but also because couples tend to seek help with reproductive techniques. helped to find a family.
Nowadays, age and assisted reproduction go hand in hand. Moreover, the implantation rates of IVF are very high, and this, combined with the use of medications that promote the multiple release of eggs, does the rest of the work.
The Race
It’s not the same if you are a Black woman (16/1000) and an Asian woman (3/1000).
On one hand, African American women currently have the highest rates of multiple births in the world (22/1000), and in fact, Yoruba women from Nigeria have a 45 out of 1000 chance of giving birth, which is the highest incidence in the world.
The main flaw of African American women presenting these multiple birth rates is that they have the highest levels of a hormone, Human Gonadotropin (GH), which induces a greater release of eggs per cycle and increases the chances of twin fertilization.
<p.Behind this hormonal issue, there may be other factors, such as dietary factors, which we will see now.
Nutrition and Other Lifestyles
It has been hypothesized that diet could somehow affect the predisposition to multiple pregnancies, although such a relationship has not yet been demonstrated, but it has been observed that among Nigerian women in rural areas, whose diet is based on yams, the incidence of multiple births is even higher than in urban areas, but this has not been scientifically proven, it has only been observed in rats.
The yam-based diet, a particular type of sweet potato (Dioscorea) Rotundata) that grows in Guinea and Nigeria, and that Yoruba women eat a lot, could affect the predisposition to multiple ovulation through estrogenic substances and progesterone, which stimulate
the release of a greater number of eggs per cycle. These are not the only sweet potatoes to have special effects, as hill sweet potato (Dioscorea remotiflora) or a type of African cassava (Cassava Africana) have similar stimulating properties.
The consumption of folic acid has also been associated with this predisposition to have more multiple births and could slightly increase it.
According to data provided by Dr. Gary Steinman in May 2006 in The Journal of Reproductive Medicine, the consumption of dairy products would be associated with about 5 times more likely to have twins.
It’s the same doctor who also confirms to Steinman that women who breastfeed at the time of pregnancy are 9 times more likely to become pregnant with twins.
In 2005, Dr. Reddy and her collaborators observed that women with a body mass index greater than 30 were more likely to vote for a twin pregnancy, just like those with a body mass index above the 25th percentile.
Women who have used substances such as injected pregnancy hormone (HCG) as part of weight loss regimens, which can cause multiple ovulations, or the use of contraceptives have also been associated with an increased risk of carrying twins orally.
A relationship has also been suggested between smokers and the increased risk of having twins, particularly dizygotic twins among multiparous mothers.
It is more common to find more cases of twins among couples who have been married for a short time, due to the increase in sexual contacts that follow later, which has also been confirmed with the return of troops from war.
Family History
You are more likely to have twins if your family has a history of twins. There may be a tendency for multiple births in the family, as is the case in first-degree families or the fact that you are a twin or multiple yourself.
In my family, my paternal grandfather was a twin, and my great-grandmother had twins three times. My grandmother may have had twins or multiples at some point. She had 8 living children, but as many other gestational losses, including with her last children.
And my mother late aborted a twin, to which my brother survived. And then I had twins.
The fact of having had twins or multiples adds more possibilities. That’s what happened to me.
The Number of Births in Mothers
Finally, women who have already had several children before, especially if one of them has already been a twin, increase their chances of having twins. The more children they have had, the more likely it is.
Photo published with the kind permission of Marin on FreeDigitalPhotos.net Does the magic recipe for achieving a twin pregnancy exist then?
In short, if what you want most in the world is to have some twins or multiples, it seems they must conform to one of these premises that could resemble a recipe. But which ones? Because they can’t all happen, and they’re not all healthy.
It seems to me that initially, in a natural and harmless way, the most logical thing is to opt for diet and increase your sexual contacts.
- Increase the dietary base with dairy and animal products (red meat)
- Introduce sweet potatoes as indicated (yams, cassava, etc.)
Even if it’s something that seems harmless, it’s best to consult a good nutritionist, who may, if you tell him what you want, go crazy with your goal. This can be very valuable but also misunderstood.
This is not recommended at all:
- The use of ovulation stimulants without a medical prescription.
- The use of hormones such as HCG for diets
- Using oral contraceptives without medical study and without proper prescription.
And now I ask you, as a mother of two pairs of twins, why do you want to have twins?
It’s a wonderful thing, indeed, but also tiring and exhausting. Some people don’t think twice when they can have the chance to have two, as is the case with assisted reproduction.
Of course, one is never really ready to have twins.
And that’s because a twin or multiple pregnancy carries risks. Many families with twins or several children particularly struggle to have a natural and respected birth. They have difficulty adjusting the daily household budget.
And what’s even more important is that it changes their lives forever in a brutal way.
It won’t be the same as before; you won’t be able to go out like before or go to the same places as before. You will feel pressure from everyone; everyone seems to know more than you when you’re raising two, and they feel entitled to tell you how to do it.
In general, twinphobia also occurs. Of course, it’s wonderful. I never regret having followed the path of being the mother of two pairs of twins, and I acknowledge that it has been very difficult; you have to be made of a special dough to be able to cope with this upbringing and the changes it brings.
And you? Are you one of those women who say “I want to have twins” without knowing how to do it? What have you done to have twins in your life.
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Do you need help with breastfeeding? Did you have twins and don’t know how to position them to breastfeed without pain? Are you afraid they won’t eat well? Ask your question here.
Bibliography:
- Isa Ibrahim, Abisoye Oyeyemi, and Abhulimen Obilahi Twin Pregnancies in the Niger Delta in Nigeria: a four-year review. Int J. Women’s Health. 2012; 4: 245—249
- . Fabio Parazzini, Liliane Chatenoud, Gaia Bettoni, Luca Tozzi, Simonetta Turco, Matteo Surace, Elisabetta Di Cintio, Guido Benzi. Selected dietary intake and risk of multiple pregnancies. Human reproduction, volume 16, number 2, February 1, 2001, pages 370—373
- Olajumoke O Lawal*, Margaret A. Agiang, and Mbeh U Eteng. The effects of various yam-based diets on the reproductive hormones of laboratory rats, Annals of Biological Research, 2012, 3 (4): 1839-1842.
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Andrew E. Czeizel, M.D., Peter Vargha, Ph.D. Periconceptional supplementation with folic acid and multivitamins and twin pregnancy. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Volume 191, number 3, September 2004, pages 790-794
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Ericson A1, Källén B, Aberg A. Use of multivitamins and folic acid in early pregnancy and during multiple births in Sweden. Twin Res. April 2001; 4 (2): 63-6.
- Gary Steinman, M.D., Ph.D. Mechanisms of twinning: VII. Effect of diet and heredity on human twinning rates. J Report Med. May 2006; 51 (5) –
- Gary Steinman, M.D., Ph.D. Mechanisms of twinning: IV. Sexual preference and breastfeeding.
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Reddy UM1, Branum AM, Klebanoff MA. Relationship between body mass index and maternal size and twinning. Obstet Gynecol. March 2005; 105 (3): 593-7.
- Kenneth J. Rothman, DR P.H. Fetal loss, twinning, and birth weight after the use of oral contraceptives. N Engl J Med 1977; 297:468-471
- Källen K. Maternal smoking and twinning. Twin Res. December 1998; 1 (4): 206-11
- Body composition, smoking, and spontaneous dizygotic twinning. Fertil Steril. February 2010; 93 (3): 885-93. doi: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2008.10.012. Epub December 4, 2008.
: 405-10. J Reprod Med. November 2001; 46 (11): 1003-7.
Hoekstra C1, Willemsen G, van Beijsterveldt CE, Lambalk CB, Montgomery GW, Boomsma DI.
Last updated on 03/8/19 To maximize your chances, check out this diet to have twins!