Fraternal twins are twins that do not share the same embryonic sac. They happen when two eggs are released and two different sperm cells fertilize the individual egg.  Since they come from two different eggs and sperm cells they do not have the same DNA; that means they can have some similarities in features, but they will not look identically the same. Fraternal twins can be both girls, both boys, or one of each. Causes of having fraternal twins are hereditary, certain fertility drugs, or IVF. Two-thirds of twins in the world are fraternal.

Identical twins are twins that do share an embryonic sac. They happen when one egg is released and a sperm fertilizes it, then the zygote splits in two. Each zygote shares exactly the same DNA since they were once one zygote that split in half. These twins will look identical or almost identical in size and looks. They will have the same hair color, eye color, skin color, and gender. Identical twins cannot be different genders. This is because they have the same exact DNA and come from the same sperm cell. Since the sperm cell determines the gender of the baby and identical twins are from the same zygote, the genders of the babies have to be the same. It is impossible for identical twins to have different reproductive organs. Three in one-thousand twins are identical. There is no cause for having identical twins. It is actually a mutation that is not supposed to happen.

Multiples of all numbers have had some very annoying questions asked to them by children, friends, randoms, and adults. Some of the most annoying questions fraternal twins get asked all the time are, was your mom pregnant for 18 months since there was two of you, were you guys born on the same day, do you have the same grandparents and parents, are you guys the same age, do you two have twin telepathy, and the most irritating question to ask boy girl twins, are they identical? Twins receive these questions more often than most people think. It does get aggravating to answer some of these questions all the time. Although, sometimes people ask legitimate questions that they don’t and/or cannot know unless they do ask. For example, these questions can be how far were they born apart, were your parents planning to have multiples, and do you like having a twin. If one was to ask a twin these questions they would be very happy and delighted to answer.

Forty percent of twins are delivered through cesarean section. Cesarean section, also commonly known as c section, is a procedure that is done on some pregnant women to remove their babies through surgery. Some women even have a combination of both, natural and c section. When doing a c section, the doctor only has about four minutes to get both babies out healthy. When twins are born this way, they usually only have a few minutes apart from each other. Twins who are born naturally can be born anywhere from a few minutes to several hours apart. C section for multiples is done, because sometimes the mother’s womb isn’t big enough for the the fetuses to flip, so they can be head down ready for delivery. Another reason twins are delivered through c-section is because they might be premature, and the mother has not had enough time to dilate. Sixty percent of twins are born premature.

When a woman goes into labor with fraternal twins, her water breaks twice. With one baby, the mother’s water only breaks one time, but when a woman has two different embryonic sacs, they both have to break. Sometimes one will break, and the other won’t. So, the doctors will have to go in a manually break it. They can vary in time between the two sacs breaking. The labor for having twins is typically the same for normal pregnancies. The only major difference is that they are expecting two and not just one.

When twins are asked what is the most annoying thing about being a twin, they are probably going to say, sharing a birthday. Sometimes with being a twin family members will think that it’s ok to just get one present for the both of them. They think it is ok, because they are twins and they are used to sharing everything. If asked, twins and all multiples will tell you that this is not ok, and it needs to stop.

For the most part, fraternal twins say they enjoy having a twin. Most of them somewhat “forget” they’re twins and just see each other as siblings. When somebody has a twin they always have someone to do things with, because they most likely have fun doing the same things.