The conception of twins is often a surprise for the expectant mother, who did not anticipate such a development of events. However, it is quite possible to find out how many children a woman is expecting with the help of ultrasound diagnostics, which is often called simply ultrasound.
Twins are the common name for a phenomenon commonly referred to as multiple pregnancies among obstetrics and gynecologists.
Twin options
If it turns out that a woman is expecting the birth of two children at once, such a pregnancy can represent one of two options. The first of these is the formation of the so-called identical twins. It occurs if, in the process of conceiving a child, one egg was fertilized, but then, for one reason or another, it was divided into two absolutely identical parts. In this case, future children will also be the same, that is, very similar to each other.
The second option for the development of pregnancy in the case of the simultaneous presence of two fetuses at once is the formation of fraternal twins. This rare case is a situation where two eggs are fertilized simultaneously during the process of conception. In this case, completely independent embryos are formed in the uterine cavity, which are completely different from each other. In fact, as a result of such a pregnancy, children are born as different as if they were born in the process of two different pregnancies.
Twins on ultrasound
As a rule, it is possible to find out that a pregnancy is multiple with the help of ultrasound diagnostics early enough. An ultrasound specialist can determine that you have twins as early as the fifth week of pregnancy. However, it should be borne in mind that this only applies to fraternal twins, since they are formed from different eggs, which are clearly distinguishable on ultrasound. Outwardly, they will be two dark spots clearly visible in the uterine cavity.
As for identical twins, the fact of dividing the egg into two identical parts will be noticeable on ultrasound a little later. It is possible to reliably establish that you will have identical twins no earlier than 12 weeks of pregnancy. Nevertheless, in the future, the effectiveness of ultrasound diagnostics for them will be as effective as for fraternal twins.
It should be borne in mind that in the process of the development of two babies at the same time, the uterus in most cases will increase at a faster rate in comparison with a singleton pregnancy, however, the embryos themselves are likely to be somewhat smaller in size and weight compared to the situation when a woman is carrying one child. This will be noticeable on an ultrasound scan and noted by a doctor, but you should not be intimidated by this situation - it is normal for multiple pregnancies.
