• The first thing is how your pregnancy will develop. Will you have more symptoms than singleton moms? Will you have to go on bed rest at some point? Just how big will your tummy become? And what are the chances of twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome, where one twin gets too much nutrition and the other too little, will happen to you? The answers to these questions are different for everyone, and consulting with your OB is the best.
• Birth is always unpredictable. But if you’re expecting twins, it is even more so. You might worry whether you will need a cesarean section or can have a vaginal birth. As long as your twins are in the optimal position, you should be able to deliver vaginally – although it does depend on your doctor. There is a bigger chance you will have preterm labor when you have twins, but many moms do make it to term.
• Parents of twins say preparation is the key to handling life with two newborns. Plan ahead, and join a twin and multiple support group too. Twins are on the rise, so there is bound to be a group in your area. These ladies can help you with been there, done that advice and tell you what the most important things to plan for are. It is great to have some support from others who understand what you are going through, too. And you might make friends for life.

Statistics show that you have about a three percent chance of having twins. But you have to keep in mind that those statistics include women who had invitro fertilization to get pregnant, as well as those who took ovulation-stimulating drugs like Clomid. Because statistics refer to the chances of anyone in a population to have twins, and not to your personal odds, it is questionable how reliable they are in determining your chances of getting pregnant with twins.

There are a few factors that contribute to your chances of having twins, or even triplets or quadruplets. These include your family history, your partner’s, your age, any assisted fertility treatments you underwent in order to get pregnant, or fertility drugs. The older you get, the higher your chances of having twins. According to some sources, women over 50 who get pregnant actually have a one in nine chance of having twins! If you really want twins, the only semi-reliable way of making it happen is having IVF. But even that does not guarantee twins. And if you would prefer not to have twins, keep in mind that nature can be full of surprises and that just about anyone can end up with twins.

For more information about twins, read expecting twins – what you need to know about your pregnancy. And for a great celebrity twin story, see Celine Dion gives birth to twins!

1) The first sign of twins has got to be rapid weight gain, early on during your pregnancy. I am sure there is no need to mention that your uterus will expand quicker if you are pregnant with twins. I’ll lump an faster increase in fundal height in with this point, because you might notice this before you actually step onto the scales. If it is not your first pregnancy, you are likely to grow quicker though.

2) More severe first trimester symptoms are another very common sign of twins or multiple pregnancies. Very heavy morning sickness, extreme fatigue, and dizziness can all indicate twin pregnancies. Mind you, you can still be carrying twins if you don’t have excessive symptoms – they are just more likely to be more noticeable in the first trimester.

3) Feeling fetal movement earlier is another possible sign of twins. If you are carrying twins, they are likely to be active and even interact with each other. If two babies are dancing all over your uterus, it is no wonder that you might be feeling them kick sooner than singleton mothers.

4) This last point is not something you can detect by yourself. If you have had a blood test that showed high protein levels, this is another indication of a possible twin pregnancy. OBs who get results like this will definitely order an ultrasound.

1. Men returning from combat are more likely to father twins.

After both the first and second world wars, men returning from battle were far more likely to father twins than men who did not. Although this phenomenon is known in the scientific literature as the “returning soldier syndrome,” it could just as easily be called the “faithful wife syndrome.” There is something about prolonged absence from sexual relations that is related to having twins and triplets.

2. Women who take more folic acid the week they conceive are more likely to have twins.

Scientists at the Murdoch Childrens’ Research Institute in Melbourne, Australia, have noticed this tendency in their reviews of six studies of folic acid supplementation for women, folic acid added to foods to prevent birth defects such as cleft palate and spina bifida. The women who consumed the highest levels of folic acid the week they conceived were 26% more likely to conceive fraternal twins but 24% less likely to conceive identical twins.

3. Eating well and avoiding stress are associated with increased rates of twin births. In the nineteenth century, Sweden was one of the poorest countries in Europe. In the twentieth century, Sweden was one of the richest countries in Europe. Scientists examining birth records going back to 1751 found that with prosperity, the rate of twin births increased 75 per cent.

4. Variations in technique in IVF (in vitro fertilization) make a big difference in rates of twins even when the procedure is performed by the best fertility doctors. When the blastocysts are transferred into the woman’s uterus five days after fertilization, there is a much higher likelihood of having identical twins than if they are transferred on the third day after fertilization.

Fertility treatment with Clomid often results in multiple births.

It is also commonsensical to suppose that repeated sexual intercourse during days 11 through 16 of a woman’s menstrual period (if her period is 28 days long) would also result in greater likelihood of having twins. However, it is also useful to that the chemical environment of the cervix also has a lot to do with whether a sperm carrying an X chromosome (becoming a girl) or a sperm carrying a Y chromosome (becoming a boy) survives to reach the egg.

Repeated sexual intercourse earlier in a woman’s menstrual cycle (shortly before or at ovulation) is more likely to result in boys. Repeated sexual intercourse later in a woman’s menstrual cycle (shortly after ovulation) is more likely to result in girls.

When using fertility drugs or assisted reproduction methods, more eggs can mean a higher chance of conceiving, but also more babies too.  In-vitro fertilization allows a reproductive endocrinologist to actually control the risk for multiple births by implanting only a select number of embryos into the uterus.  Intrauterine insemination multiple birth does not always happen to a couple, but the chances are extremely high.

Certain study information has determined that the risks of multiples are increased largely to the number of embryos implanted into the uterus, but also due to female age as well.  A woman can have 2 or 3 embryos implanted which can split into twins or more, so these are things which need to be given serious thought and consideration when using IUI for conceiving.  Though a pregnancy with multiples might not seem like such a bad thing, if the health of the mother is in question it can raise serious problems and may need to be given serious thought too.

Within the study it was also discovered that pregnancy and higher order implantations were also influenced by the number of follicles involved.  For patients aged 35 years and older, there was a higher risk of having twins and triplets because of follicle related issues.  In older women, multiple pregnancies are advised against because of special health related issues which could present.

Intrauterine insemination multiple births should be avoided as much as possible in order to protect the health of mother and child.  When considering all the methods there are to treat infertility, intrauterine insemination could be one of the most beneficial to an infertile couple, but the risks should always be something to be aware of.

Parents are still hoping for a miracle as the babies continue to fight for their lives. Babies were delivered by Caesarean section 14 weeks (3 months!) too early at the renowned John Radcliffe Hospital, at the Oxford. But the little bundles are recovering well, and each of the six babies is being cared for close by in the Radcliffe Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
Vicky Lamb, who is 31, from Oxfordshire is overwhelmed with the fact that her bundles of joy are making a good recovery in the hospital where they were born. Vicky and her husband are extremely grateful to the John Radcliffe hospital and all doctors and nurses and other staff.

The babies were very tiny at the time of birth, which was expected because of the fact they were born 12 weeks prematurely, and they were sextuplets.  They were very tiny and their birth weight was ranging from only 1.3 to 2lbs.

Parents still cannot take their children home: there is a long way off before they take them home. Sextuplets are still critical and they are all fighting for their lives. Parents do realize they are praying for a small miracle, but let’s not forget that babies already beat incredible odds of 4.5million-to-one to survive birth. However, doctors and nurses have been monitoring them closely after their premature arrival, and they are all very proud to be a part in such unique delivery, but they do emphasis that next several weeks will be critical and that babies born this early need a lot of specialist care. Therefore, they are receiving round the clock intensive care and specialist nursing at the moment and their condition is constantly monitored.

Britain welcomes 130 sets of triplets and 11,000 sets of twins are born each year.

The last set of sextuplets was born in 1986 after a fertility treatment, but one of the babies died at the birth.  Last year US welcomed miracle of 8 babies when Nadya Suleman delivered 6 boys and 2 girls after having an IVF treatment.

Most women who are infertile because of PCOS are not able to ovulate. That is, their ovaries do not release an egg for fertilization in the middle of the menstrual period. But the process of ovulation does not begin in the ovaries. The process of ovulation begins in the brain.

Deep inside the brain, the hypothalamus senses changes in a woman’s estrogen levels with the progress of her menstrual cycle. It sends out pulses of a hormone called gonadotrophin releasing hormone, or GnRH for short. GnRH then circulates to the pituitary gland, which releases follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH).

FSH and LH have multiple actions in reproductive health, but for ovulation, FSH tells the ovaries to create a “stalk” to carry the egg out of the ovary and LH prepares the uterus for implantation.

If anything goes wrong with any of these hormones, if they are secreted in the wrong amount or at the wrong rate or at the wrong time, ovulation may not occur. And if there is no ovulation, there can be no pregnancy without in vitro fertilization. But treating infertility can be a lot simpler than managing the functions of multiple endocrine glands.

Surprisingly often, just losing weight is enough for woman with PCOS who is trying to conceive.

From 1/3 to 2/3 of women with PCOS experience changes in hormone balance that enable ovulation after losing as little as 5% of their total body weight. Taking off just 5 pounds (about 2.5 kilos) might be all the treatment that is needed. Reversing weight gain sometimes restores fertility.

If diet and exercise leading to weight loss don’t work, then doctors usually offer chlomiphene citrate, also known as Clomid. This is a drug that forces ovulation. Within 28 days of starting the drug about 22% of women who have PCOS get pregnant. Within 6 months, which is the maximum amount of time the drug is administered, that percentage climbs to 60%. A combination of weight loss and chlomiphene citrate may be what a woman who has PCOS may need to become pregnant.

The third drug given to women trying to conceive used to be metformin, more commonly used for diabetes treatment, but now fertility specialists reserve that drug for women who have both PCOS and diabetes. Nowadays the third line of treatment is an artificial form of GnRH. Only about 20% of women who take this drug get pregnant, but 1/3 of them will have twins, triplets, or quadruplets.

If drugs don’t work, then there is ovarian drilling. This is a laparoscopic procedure, done through a small incision, to physically remove 1 to 12 eggs for fertilization. It works about 50% of the time.

Then, if all these procedures fail, the option is in vitro fertilization, or IVF as it is more commonly known. IVF is an iffy procedure that requires a considerable investment in time and money, but it may enable childbearing. IVF works about 1/3 of the time.

A small number of women with PCOS will not become pregnant even if they have all of these procedures, but the overwhelming majority of women with PCOS can become pregnant with persistent treatment. Any woman with polycystic ovaries, however, should try diet and exercise first.

It’s usually your doctor who will determine that Clomid is the best fertility option for you. You will be asked to start taking Clomid 2 to 5 days after you begin your menstrual period. Your doctor will carefully monitor your hormone levels during the week of taking Clomid.
If you start ovulating, you will be instructed to stop taking the medication and when to have intercourse after in order to increase the chances of successful conception.

If you were not successful in getting pregnant with the first cycle, you will repeat Clomid, but no more than six menstrual cycles. You will be advised to look for another fertility option.

However, if your treatment with Clomid was successful, inducing the ovulation after the first cycle, you should be aware of the fact that this fertility drug could have potential side effects after the ovulation.

Most common problem when taking Clomid is probability of having twins and multiple pregnancies. During clinical trials of Clomid, 6.9% of pregnancies were twin pregnancies, while the 0.5% were triplets, 0.3% were quadruplets, and 0.1% were quintuplets. To reduce the chances of having multiple pregnancies while taking Clomid, your doctor should always start you on the lowest dose of Clomid first, before trying higher doses of Clomid.

Another common side effect are hot flushes or night sweats, with 10% of women experiencing them as feeling of sudden warm episodes, followed by chills. It’s not dangerous, but it is uncomfortable.

Changes in cervical mucus as well as dry vagina could be frustrating potential side effect of Clomid. Cervical mucus helps transport the sperm into the cervix, and if it becomes thick because of treatment with Clomid, this can decrease the chances of getting pregnant.

More or less uncomfortable conditions such as headaches, dizziness, weight gain, nausea and bloating are also side effects of Clomid. They all could be lessened with medications, proper diet and hydration during treatment. However, severe nausea could be a sign of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, which is rare, but dangerous side effect of fertility drugs.

Spotting in the middle of your cycle can be related just to the Clomid and doesn’t necessarily indicate pregnancy. However, if accompanied with other symptoms such as fever, nausea or abdominal pain, you should contact your doctor.

Besides these ‘mild’ side effects of Clomid, treatment with this fertility drug could cause more serious conditions such as ovarian cysts or ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS).
Less than 1% of women treated with Clomid will develop an ovarian cyst, which is typically benign (not cancer), disappearing on its own not long after the treatment cycle is over. If the cyst does not go away after the treatment is over, the doctor should be consulted.

As been said, ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome is rare but potentially dangerous condition. It means dangerous enlargement of the ovaries with a fluid that could leak into the stomach or chest, causing further complications. Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome can only occur once ovulation takes place after treatment with Clomid. Symptoms may occur a few days after ovulation, including:

Mild symptoms:

• Bloating
• Mild pain or discomfort in the abdomen
• Mild weight gain
• Mild nausea
• Diarrhea

Or serious symptoms:

• Excessive weight gain, more than 10 pounds in 3 to 5 days.
• Severe nausea
• Severe abdominal pain
• Severe bloating
• Dizziness
• Trouble with urinating
• Shortness of breath
• Rapid heartbeat

If you are using Clomid and have one or more of symptoms, you should visit your doctor immediately.

If a man or woman has a history of twins in their family, it can increase the chances of their ability to conceive twins.  Sometimes conceiving twins can be hereditary, but only fraternal twins are influenced by this factor.  If a woman’s mother or grandmother was a fraternal twin, there is a chance the hyper-ovulation gene could be passed along and twins could be conceived.

There are also studies which show that an overweight woman is more likely to conceive a pregnancy of multiples.  Mothers with a body mass index of 30 or more are at an increased risk of becoming pregnant with twins.  It is not about how to get pregnant with twins, so much as it is a variety of different factors which might increase the odds for a couple.  Another interesting fact is that research shows an above average height woman also has an increased rate of conceiving twins.

Older mothers also have an increased chance of becoming pregnant with twins, more so than a younger woman would be.  The body is thought to accelerate ovulation as the female becomes older and 17% of woman over 45-years of age are more likely to have multiples.  Another interesting fact is that once a woman has a twin pregnancy, the rates are also higher that it will happen again.

There is no sure fire way of how to get pregnant with twins, but a certain tribe in West Africa has one of the highest rates of natural twinning of anywhere else in the world.  Researchers are of the thought that a diet high in yams and dairy could contain chemicals that stimulate multiple eggs being released in the woman’s body.  Additionally, research also indicates that a woman that consumes a diet of regular dairy is also five times more likely to conceive twins.

Seeking fertility assistance can also help some couples conceive twins because of certain fertility medications or medical procedures.  With all of the information prevailing that shows the rates of twin conception, the odds are in favor for certain women.  Many couples do not even meet the criteria of having an increased chance of having twins and just get lucky!

Taking a regimen of Clomid can increase the chances of a woman delivering multiples (multiple births).  Fertility drugs like Clomid have been available for more than 25 years and are the first line of treating ovulation-related female infertility.  Being an antiestrogen medication, Clomid causes the hypothalamus to stimulate the ovaries to make eggs.  The hypothalamus and the pituitary gland are responsible for regulating and normalizing ovulation, and Clomid is used to help improve the chances of conception.

When a woman is taking Clomid and the ovaries can release a higher than normal number of eggs and the chances for a multiple birth is increased dramatically.  It is estimated that Clomid patients have a twin pregnancy approximately 10% of the time, and during clinical trials 0.5% of pregnancies were triplets and 0.3% were quadruplets.  Though the chances for a multiple birth are a bit higher, it is impossible for a physician to determine which woman taking Clomid will conceive more than one baby.

There are also other factors for women taking Clomid that could lead to a multiple birth.   Using a higher dosage than recommended may increase a woman’s chance of having twins.  However, the downside of a higher dose of Clomid can also cause a thickening of cervical mucus which can make it more difficult to conceive at all.  For a woman that has no problem ovulating or if a woman is younger than 25 years old, Clomid can also cause a twin pregnancy.

Clomid is not only used to treat infertility in women, but also as a treatment protocol for polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).  The drug can also be used by couples that experience unexplained infertility, but that do not wish to undergo more expensive and invasive fertility treatment methods.  Clomid increases ovulation in woman by 80% and approximately 40-45% of patients will become pregnant within six cycles of treatment.

Clomid is one of the most commonly prescribed drugs for female infertility and produces high conception rates.  For women that have ovulatory problems and wish to become pregnant, Clomid can be the answer to the problem.  The drug is easily tolerated, fairly priced in comparison to other infertility treatment methods and is effective in stimulating ovulation more than 75% of the time, which makes it possible for those who may have previously given up hope of ever being able to conceive.