Many women, when they were younger, dreamed of carrying a huge belly with two babies, preferably a boy and a girl! That would be total happiness, wouldn’t it? Getting pregnant with twins truly is a dream.
Despite all the work that a pair, triplets, or even quadruplets can bring, it’s a small thing compared to the cuteness and magic of the moment of welcoming new lives, whether it’s two, three, or four. But what is the secret to getting pregnant with twins? Is there a magical formula to make the miracle of life happen twice at once?
For a multiple pregnancy to happen, you need fertilization followed by the division of a single embryo into two, resulting in identical twins, or, which is more common, a multiple ovulation that leads to pregnancy.
Sometimes the ovaries produce more than one dominant follicle, and they can be released, fertilized, and implanted. This is the natural way to get pregnant with twins, and the biggest contributing factor is genetics1.
A woman who comes from a family with many pairs of twins has a higher chance of getting pregnant with multiples. However, there are cases where there is no family history of twins and it still happens! That’s because a person may release more hormones that stimulate follicle maturation, like FSH and estrogen, and this can be genetic or not.
A twin pregnancy can happen for several reasons beyond genetics. The most likely are assisted reproduction and also stimulation by ovulation-inducing medications, which cause more follicles to be released. In vitro fertilization has been the shortest route to a twin pregnancy. Most of the time, the doctor responsible for the procedure transfers to the mother’s uterus two, three, or even four embryos, which can develop and lead to a healthy pregnancy. That’s why the rate of twin pregnancies in women over 35 years old is high, due to fertility treatments.
Is there a secret to getting pregnant with twins?
It can’t really be said that there is a specific natural technique for getting pregnant with twins, but some simple tricks, such as using yam tea, can help stimulate the ovaries. Besides tea, which is natural, there are ovulation inducers, such as clomiphene2, and injectables. However, they are not miraculous. They can help, but their use should be guided by a gynecologist, and careful monitoring is needed to prevent problems. Ovulation inducers can be dangerous if used indiscriminately. So, be very careful!
Artificial insemination3 is also one way to get pregnant with twins. However, the procedure requires planning, just like fertilization. The stimulation is almost the same for both processes, the difference is that in one, there is stimulation and the sperm is placed inside the fallopian tubes, while in the other, the babies are placed when they are about five days developed.
Finding a good professional to properly guide your attempts to get pregnant with twins is fundamental! To sum up, we can say that to get pregnant with twins you need to count on luck, God’s will, and a little help from nature, because even with all these procedures, it will only happen with a greater permission!
See also: Pregnancy with Twins – What Changes to Expect in the Mother’s Body?
Photo: Abby Bischoff
