Has anyone had their twins DNA tested to see if they are fraternal or identical?
We are unsure what ours are even at 10 months. They had 2 sacs and 2 placentas which doesn't really tell us much and they are very hard to tell apart, even for me at times.
My husband and I have a bet going- I think identical, he thinks not although I know it doesn't really matter, I'm just sick of people asking and me not knowing and then having to explain the story.
How much did it cost and what did the tersting involve? Thanks for your help.
Marilla

Hi
We are still deciding if we should have our girls DNA test done. They both had their own sacs etc.. etc... but everyone that does not know them always asls if they are identical. To me they have similar appearences but look totally different. They say by the age of 2 is when you can really tell if they are identical. who really knows. anyway here is a link to the testing. I know it ranges from $150.00 up to $300
http://www.genetictechnologies.com.au/inde...?menuid=100.040
hope this helps
Jodi

<img src="http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y42/twinoski/twinoskisig.jpg" alt="Image hosted by Photobucket.com">

It's funny you know, my girls had a party a couple of weeks ago and they invited two sisters.
one from their class and her sister from the class above.
She is 18 months older (7), and you cannot tell these girls apart. The younger one is only slightly shorter but other then that you just cannot tell them apart! It blows me away.

And that is another reason why just because twins look identical it still doesn't mean they are. They can be frats still just like the Olsen twins.

Though one of the ways you can get more of an idea is teeth. are there teeth identical? I know that when one of my girls loses a tooth the other will lose the opposite tooth straight away and it never misses a beat. lol

Hi Marilla
Funny you should ask, I have just paid for the DNA testing kit to be sent to me! Our girls are 6 months and some days (though not in my pic below) you cannot tell them apart. Their placentas were fused, so hard to tell too.
The kit cost me $165 & phone no is 1800 822 999 at Genetic Tech. When the kit arrives, I just swab the inside of their mouth & send the kit back to get a report.




Lisa
Jessica & Isabel 1/3/05

Of course I dont need to do this LMAO!! Although the amount of people that ask me if my two are identical is crazy LOL.....Just wanted to say -

Ava - Wow about the Teeth! That really spins me out!

Lisa - Would be very interested in hearing about your results when you get them...

Jodi - Perhaps Lisa's option is cheaper?

Mirilla - Would love to see a pic of your Girls

Haylie ~ Proud Mum of Hayden & Brooklen 21.3.05

Thank you so much everyone, that has given me something to think about. My girls got their first 3 teeth on the same day but Indie has had a forth tooth for a week and no sign in Shari of no. 4.
The other clue I wondered about is hair 'whorls' ie. the hair crown. Are they in the same spot in identical twins? My 2 are slightly different.
That is interesting Ava, there are twins in my local group who appear identical but their mothers tell me they're not although they have never had them tested. maybe they are right after all?
Lisa, my girls look a lot like Jessica and Isabel- very cute! I will be interested to hear the results.
Hayley, if I knew how to send photos I would do it! I'll work it out one day when I have some time. Maybe when they start school!
Marilla

Our boys (5 months old) are identical as they shared the chorionic sac, and they also look very alike. We are taking part in an University of Adelaide twin study on teeth and as part of the study they do the DNA testing and send you the results. So soon we will have 'scientific' proof and for free too!! - Always an option perhaps if you don't want to pay for the testing and can wait until such a study comes around again.

We haven't had our girls tested. We were told from the first scan at 12 weeks that they were monozygotic (monochorionic/diamniotic to be precise). I wouldn't mind having them DNA tested sometime to be 100% certain (although the identical hair colour, eye colour, height etc probably confirms it!) - we're registered for twin research so I think we'll wait and see if we are asked to participate in a study sometime.

About the Olsen twins - I've read that they're fraternal but I wonder if they've been DNA tested or if their parents were told that because they had two placentas (which as those who read this board know, doesn't always mean fraternal)??

Maree

Eleanor 1/8/03
Harriet 1/8/03

I have also read that identical twins are a mirror image of each other..meaning... there physical features are on opposite sides of there body eg.... one will be left handed and one right(can be hard to tell when younger), hair crown can grow in opposite directions and birthmarks or moles can appear on opposite sides..Also sometimes their internal organs can be on opposite sides to each other..

Just found this interesting and thought would share it...
Rachael

Mum to
Kyle (1995)
Tylah (1999)
Blake (2001)
Jaxon (2004)
<a href="http://www.tickercentral.com"><img border="0" src="http://www.tickercentral.com/view/42jy/1"></a>

This message was edited by mum2_4 on Monday, 12 September 2005 @ 11:08 AM

We haven't had our boys tested but I am thinking about it. For no other reason but to know for sure and so that when people ask you don't have to say I don't know!!!! The looks some people give you, they just don't understand LOL

To us our boys are very different but other people have so much trouble telling them apart.. I am beginning to wonder though.. They both got their teeth at around the same time and their teeth are exactly the same their two front teeth are giant "bucky beavers" with the teeth at the side both angled in behind them. So it seems strange that they would be both the same IYKWIM
They also both have the exact same cow lick in their fringe which is very frustrating can't do anything with their hair LOL Well at least they both have a bad hair day every day

I think I would just like to know so I am not sitting looking and comparing everyday think the smallest sign maybe the clue. I wouldn't be suprised if they weren't identical though because all of my 5 kids are hard to tell apart when looking at baby photos!!!! So who knows

Wems :quest:


DD#1 5
DS#1 4
DD#2 2
DS's#2&3 11 months

We DID have our girls DNA tested!

We did it when they were about 5 months or so, throught the geotechnologies place in Melbourne that Jodi (twinoski) mentioned.

They sent out the kit and we did the plastic swab things - it is very easy and comes with great instructions and labelled bags to put it in.

About 2 weeks later, we got a letter back with 2 columns and a whole lot of numbers. The 2 columns were all the same, and it said that they are 99.6% sure that they are identical.

So there you go.

Further to the dicussion, to me, they look different, but I am their Mummy! Only about 6 people can tell them apart. A small percentage of identical twins are "mirror" twins. I don't know if our are, but at the moment, Sophie is very right handed and Alicia is very left handed, but they are only 2 3/4 so that might easily change.

As far as the cutting teeth thing goes, they seemed to get them around the same time (say within a couple of weeks of each other, and almost in the same order). They are both getting their 2 year old molars are the moment, but Alicia has one all the way through, whereas Sophie's are only starting to poke out.

With walking and crawling and all that, they did most of it within about 2 weeks of each other.

Hope that helps!

Do recommend the test, think it was about $165 and it helps to answer the question that EVERYONE asks!

By the way, they had their own sacs, and I *think* they had seperate placentas that fused together.

Cheers

Kate
Alicia and Sophie 2/12/02

I'm a bit confused.
My OB indicated that he will get a blood test done from the cord blood at birth and this will show whether or not they are fraternal/identical.
Didn't anyone else have a test done like this after the birth?

Well, my OB made no mention of testing cord blood so I can't help you there, but then again he also told me that they were definitely fraternal due to separate sacs and placentas! And he specialises in twin deliveries!!
Anyway, thankyou for all your help everyone. I have sent of for the $165 test from Genetic technologies.
I'll let you know the result!
Mill.

I also just read about the cord blood being tested at birth in a pamphlet given to me by AMBA. My twins also have separate sacs and placentas. I'm hoping it will be straightforward.

Definitely let us know the result :-)

Jacquie,

My DH told me later on that they did offer to test ours for us when they were born, but I think that I was so out of it (I had a ceaser) and overwhelmed that we said not to worry about it. My DH didn't really care if we didn't know, but it bugged me that I didn't know when people asked me so we got it done.

Looking back on it, it would have been better just to have it done when they were born!

Cheers

Kate
Alicia and Sophie 2/12/02