Is your teenager in need of help?
According to one study, as many as 12% of all naturally conceived pregnancies might start out as twin pregnancies.
The same study suggests that in one out of eight of those pregnancies, one twin vanishes, resulting in a single birth.
It has been suggested that for people who are left-handed, the probability that they started out as twins is even higher, because twins are more likely to be left-handed.
While only 9% of the general population is left-handed, 15% of identical twins and 12% of non-identical twins are left-handers.
It may well be that something is wrong with one of the fetuses, or that the mother’s uterus simply does not have room to nurture both.
According to psychology professor Nancy L. Segal, who specializes in twin studies, “The womb was designed for one baby, not two…”
“It could simply be a correction to ensure the health of the twin who survives.”
Parasitic twins are very rare, however. It is estimated to occur in one out of 500,000 live births, and there have only been 200 cases reported globally.
Whether there could be any merit to these suggestions is still up for debate, but scientists may be close to a reliable test that shows whether we had a vanished identical twin.
Researchers did not set out to develop this test, but rather chanced upon it while trying to determine why identical twins develop in the first place.
Identical twins occur in very few species and they don’t make sense from an evolutionary perspective. Offspring with genetic diversity make for a better chance of survival.
The exact reason for the development of identical twins remains unknown, but we do now have the never-expected side outcome of a test that shows whether we used to be one.
The test only works for identical twins, and currently it only has an accuracy rate of 60-80%. That may well increase, but we do not know whether it will ever be 100% accurate.
That said, this is an exciting development in the field of twin research and it may have a number of wide-reaching implications.
On an individual level, it may provide some comfort to people struggling with their identity and the possibility that they may have lost a twin.
According to Segal, she receives regular emails from people who say they feel lost and are searching for a lost twin. This test may be able to provide some sort of closure for those individuals.
Being able to test for a vanished twin in apparent non-twins may also transform entire areas of medical research and healthcare.
For example, the test could have positive implications in the field of cerebral palsy research.
Identical twins are more likely to suffer from cerebral palsy, as well as other congenital anomalies, such as neural tube defects and arthrogryposis.
It may well transpire that singletons who suffer from these conditions started out as twins, and knowing that could be useful when it comes to treatment.
According to twin research expert Jenny van Dongen, "If we can determine that a significant number of patients with cerebral palsy used to have a monozygotic twin, then we may find better treatment targets."
We may be a way off from having a test with a reasonable accuracy rate, but it seems fair to say that this is an exciting development in the area of twin research.
If it becomes more accurate and widely accessible the vanished twin test may provide answers to some important medical and psychological questions.
Sources: (BBC)
And yet we often hear stories of people who are convinced they have memories of sharing the womb with a twin, or who have dreams in which they have a twin.
Have you ever wondered what it must be like to be an identical twin? How your perspective on life would be different if there were another version of you running around? Of course, if you were born a singleton, you'll never know. You'll never become a twin, although you may well have been one once...
Studies suggest that the chances you were once a twin are higher than you might think. Surprisingly often, a pregnant mother starts out carrying twins, and then one vanishes. For years this phenomenon has gone largely under the radar, but this might be about to change.
Check out the following gallery to learn about the test that could find lost twins.
This test could reveal if you had a twin in the womb
A major progress in the study of twins
LIFESTYLE Science
Have you ever wondered what it must be like to be an identical twin? How your perspective on life would be different if there were another version of you running around? Of course, if you were born a singleton, you'll never know. You'll never become a twin, although you may well have been one once...
Studies suggest that the chances you were once a twin are higher than you might think. Surprisingly often, a pregnant mother starts out carrying twins, and then one vanishes. For years this phenomenon has gone largely under the radar, but this might be about to change.
Check out the following gallery to learn about the test that could find lost twins.