Other than having your twins tested is there any other sure way of knowing????? LOL (That sounds stupid)
The doctors couldn't tell us even after looking at the placenta.

My boys look very similar to other people, we can see the differences.
Do they get their teeth at the same time or things like that????

Sorry about the silly question was just wondering!!!!

Thanks all you clever twin mums

Wems
Can't wait to PARTY!!!!!!!
Leaving the 5 kids with DH
GiRL'S WEEKEND AWAY ***PARTY***[br]

Hi Wems

I saw a list somewhere of ways to tell (other than DNA). From what I remember it was basically along the lines of hair colour, eye colour and whether others outside the immediate family can tell them apart. It reckoned you should probably be able to tell by the age of 2. Of course even ID aren't always exactly the same (eg fingerprints) because tiny environmental differences (even in the womb) influence the end result.

We were told when I was pregnant that there was a 97% chance our 2 were identical. We didn't think so when they were born, but they are getting more and more alike in appearance as they get older! We are involved in a big twin study in WA and they will get a DNA test as a part of the study at age 4 so we'll know for absolute certain. Not that it really matters but people always ask and it would be good to have an answer (we say they are).

Nicolie
DDs Paige & Hannah (23/09/03)

As I understand it, other than DNA testing there is no other absoulte way of knowing whether twins are identical or not.

That's because monozygotic twins (identical twins) can share a placenta, or not, and placentas often fuse making it hard to tell whether it's one or two. They can also share amnions and/or choria (out and innner amniotic sacks). If the babies share outer membranes (choria) (and possibly also inner membranes though it is rare babies who share inner membranse survive) they are definitely monozygotic twins.

The twins registry page explains this really well with pictures!
http://www.twins.org.au/infofortwins/factsandfigures.htm

Our girls have been DNA tested as part of a research study but we were fairly certain they were MZ twins before they were born as they shared an outer sack with only a very thin membrane between them and at an early internal scan a check of my ovaries showed only one follicle indicating I most probably only ovulated once. We also had twin to twin transfusion syndrome somethign that only happens with twins who share a placenta (a similar thng can happen to twins who's placenta's fuse but it's not quite the same) and when they were born our OB was certain it was only one very large and malfunctioning placenta!

But the DNA test was the only way to know %100 that they are identical twins. They do look very much alike (to other people I don't see it!) and are very similar in a lot of things but also very different. They have different hair (same colour but it's growing differently!) and also are getting different teeth at different times (so there is always someone teething! arrgghh!).

So sorry to say without a DNA test you can never know for sure. I have heard there are places that do mail order kits for testing but don't know how much they cost. But really as Nicolie says if most people can't tell apart and you think they are identical twins they most probably are!

Hope that helps

Kate

We are moving house! Yipee!!

Me again, Kate made me think of something. Our MBA had an ad in the newsletter once for do it yourself kits (its just a mouth swab). I think it was ~ $150. Maybe your MBA can point you in the right direction if you're keen.

Thanks for that I knew you clever twin mums would have some ideas!!!!

I would say there is more chance then not that they are identical, its hard to tell as all my 5 children look very similar any way.

But while pregnant most scans showed them in 2 seperate inner sacs and 1 shared outer sac. At My first scan at 18 weeks they thought they had no dividing membrane but every scan after that they saw a dividing membrane thank goodness for that.
Is this making sense or am I confusing everyone as well as myself LOL The trouble is I didn't have any early scans and that is the best time to check out all the sacs and placenta apparently so they were never really sure!!!!! Silly me thinking i had done it all before and didn't need to go to the doctor any earlier Didn't know there was going to be two hiding in there!!! LOL

Any way I guess it doesn't matter as they are both very healthy little boys that we all love very much. It's just when people ask and you say you don't know they look at you funny!!!! LOL People just don't understand how confusing it all is!!!! What surprised me the most was the people who thought you could have boy/girl identical twins!!!

Thanks for the great link is anybody here on the twin registry??????

THANKS AGAIN
WEMS ;p

This message was edited by wems7 on Saturday, 2 July 2005 @ 11:40 AM

Hi WEMS

Your question is very relevant . I have ID (well we think they are). My first scan at 6 weeks 4 days showed twins & the lady said then she thought they would be ID.

I had anther scan at 8 weeks (due to spotting) & another one at 13 weeks. The one at 13 weeks, showed the membrane separating them I think, but all the scans after that, they could not see the separating membrane.

It appeared they same ONE placenta, so the hospital sent it to the lab. We got a LONG & in-depth report back, & it said the girls were ID. Apparently under all the tests they did it showed it was not a fused placenta, so b/c of this we haven't had them DNA tested.

To me I sometimes question weather they are really ID! Some days they look totally different, then other days very similar. But for the most part, friends cannot tell them apart. Some people can once I tell them the things to look for

K has more & thicker hair
K has a rounder face
K has rounder/ bigger looking eyes

I won't even go into the personality differences

Belinda

Me again Wems, we're on the registery. We're only involved in one study at the moment and get a newsletter about once a year. Pretty painless so far.

Nicolie
DDs Paige & Hannah (23/09/03)

Hi Wems,

I asked a similar question about a year ago. Then I had my boys DNA tested (it cost about $160) and found out that they are identical. This was a shock to me as I think they look so different and somedays I still don't believe it. Plus, I had a classic fraternal twin pregnancy, so all the doctors and sonographers said I was definitely having fraternal twins.

I still haven't found one pair of twins who has had the DNA test and then found out they are fraternal. So I guess if even you suspect it, they probably are identical. As they get older it will probably become very apparent if they are identical or not. They will still be very special either way. But I do know that look you are talking about when you say you don't know.

Also, mine didn't get their teeth at the same time. They cut their first tooth within a week of each other, but it has been all over the place since then.

HTH



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Thanks everyone
I asked the tooth thing because I read somewhere that ID twins get their teeth at the same time etc. and my boys haven't Kane even got his in a different order to Darcy
I don't really care but sometimes I just wonder

BINNA how do you go about getting them tested at your GP or what????? Not that I would be getting it done told DH earlier about it and the cost and he said he doesn't want to know that bad LOL Tight a$$

Wems, I ordered a DNA kit from
genetic technologies and sent the swabs back to them for analysis, and then they sent me a report back. Some other mums on here told me about them.

I heard SIVF charge $300+ for their tests.

My two cut teeth in different orders too. Liam went two months before he caught up to Caelan, even though he started teething first.

Hi

My boys had separate everything in utero, and so I presumed they were fraternal. As they grew older they looked very alike. So I presumed they were identical. Then I met someone who had adult twin sons, presumed identical. When they had them DNA tested they found out they were fraternal! So now I don't presume anything. Despite this, I have no immediate plans to do the test. Maybe some day. Until then, it's fun to keep everyone guessing...