Are my sister and daughters more likely to have twins? And my son who is not of twins?
Answer
Dear Gaelle,
given your situation, you are quite right to suspect a hereditary impact in the occurrence of twins in your family. There is indeed a genetic influence via the maternal line for having fraternal twins and your own sister and daughters would indeed run an increased ‘risk’. Your son does not, since the property of double ovulation (two eggs released at ovulation instead of just one) is hereditary.
Regarding the familial occurrence of fraternal twins, there are some studies that suggest some hereditary impact, but this is strongly doubted. The fact that you yourself are of fraternal twins and have also become the mother of fraternal twins is probably just a coincidence and your relatives are not at increased ‘risk’.
Kind regards,
dr. Ilse Delbaere
Answered by
dr. Ilse Delbaere
Obstetrics, midwifery, human embryo implantation, placentation, multiple births
http://www.ugent.be
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