Ever the Twins Shall Meet

Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. Expecting Twins or Triplets Here are some facts about multiple births, including how such births occur and how common they are.

Caesarean section

How do multiple pregnancies occur? What increases the chance of a multiple pregnancy? How common are multiple births? What complications are linked to multiple births? Some complications that can occur in multiple births include: Premature labor and birth: The most common complication of multiple births is premature labor. Mothers carrying multiple babies go into premature labor usually defined as before 37 weeks more often than women carrying only one baby.

Many women strive to reach 38 weeks, considered full-term in a twin pregnancy, to increase the odds that their babies will be born healthy and at a good weight. Low birth weight due to preterm delivery Pre-eclampsia , or gestational hypertension high blood pressure: This complication occurs at twice the rate in women carrying multiples than in women pregnant with one baby.

The condition also tends to develop earlier and be more severe in women carrying two or more babies. If there are two placentas, an increased resistance to insulin. Twin-twin transfusion syndrome TTTS may develop due to identical twins sharing a placenta.

Blood flow between the twins can become unbalanced. This condition occurs when the placenta detaches separates from the uterine wall before delivery. Placenta abruption is also more common when a woman is carrying more than one baby.

This condition can occur when one or both twins is not growing at the proper rate. The condition might cause the babies to be born prematurely or at a low birth-weight. Up to nearly half of pregnancies with more than one baby have this problem, compared with slightly more than 10 percent of single pregnancies.

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What can a woman do to stay healthy during a multiple pregnancy? Because conjoined twins are rare, it may be difficult to find supportive resources. Ask your health care team if medical social workers or counselors are available to help. Depending on your needs, ask for information on organizations that support parents who have children with significant physical conditions or who have lost children. If you're pregnant with conjoined twins, you'll be referred to a team of specialists to help guide you and create a treatment plan for your twins. Here's some information to help you get ready and what to expect from your doctor.

Your doctor and health care team will review your conjoined twins' tests and exam results and discuss options with you. Together with your health care team, you can make decisions for your twins' treatment and care.

Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version. Diagnosis Conjoined twins can be diagnosed using standard ultrasound as early as the end of the first trimester.

Request an Appointment at Mayo Clinic. References O'Brien P, et al. Prenatal diagnosis and obstetric management. Seminars in Pediatric Surgery. Pierro A, et al.

Classification and clinical evaluation. D'Antonio F, et al. Early pregnancy assessment in multiple pregnancies. Kiely EM, et al. Ethics in the management of conjoined twins. Lockwood CJ, et al. Accessed March 9, Neonatal complications, outcome, and management of multiple births. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.