Twins

So I have continued to read and it appears that one of two things has caused twins...hyper-ovulation, or spontaneous identical twins.  Incase you missed it before identical twins are always spontaneous and there is no known cause for them.  Below is an exerpt I read today:

"Because hyper-ovulation (releasing two or more eggs at one time) can be inherited, it is common to have several sets of fraternal twins throughout many generations in one family. These fraternal twins are generally considered hereditary.


It's a common misconception that twins only come down through the mother's side. This only holds true when the father is the one with twins in the family or is a twin himself and he is also the one trying to conceive twins. To put it a bit more simply, the male only provides the sperm, whereas, the female is the one who either ovulates two eggs (fraternal twins) or one egg that splits (identical twins). That's why a woman can still inherit the hyper-ovulation gene from a grandmother, aunt, etc. on her father's side. But her father would not have had any hereditary chance of having twins himself when he had his child/children.

An added reason for having fraternal twins is the age of the mother at conception. The chance of fraternal twins is more prevalent in women 35 years of age and older. And yet another growing cause of fraternal twins is the use of fertility treatments. If you are undergoing these treatments, your doctor will have already informed you of the possibility of a multiple birth."

Some interesting factors that are related to twining:

"Height & Weight-Some more recent studies have concluded that the fraternal twinning rate increases substantially in obese women, as well as women with an above average height. Although the reasons are not completely clear thers is some sort of correlation.

Eating Dairy Products-Another study done a few years ago has shown that women who consume dairy products, as opposed to those who don't seem to be five times more likely to get pregnant with twins. Probably linked to the insulin-like growth factor (IGF).

Already Having A Set Of Twins-It seems that women who have already had a set of fraternal twins are a bit more likely to have another set of twins as opposed to a woman who has only had singletons. This may be linked to the hyper-ovulation gene. "  *This last one seems like a really good reason to stop having children...or win the lottery.

So whose ready for Elizabeth to have a baby?  I am ready for her to roll the dice!