# Identical twins sharing same placenta



## goddess25

My best friend at home has just found out that she is expecting identical twins, they are in the same gestational sac and are attached to the same placenta. I know this is rare, she met with her doctor this morning who tried to be positive but basically told her all the crappy stats about fetal death and abnormality if they survive, about labour preterm sometimes as early as 24 weeks, about transfer of blood between each twin etc..

Does anyone have any good stories to share about outcome, any good websites or resources.. would be most grateful.


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## lizziedripping

Hi there. I don't know a great deal about this hun, but I'm sure there are some ladies on here with direct experience of it that will be along soon.

Send your friend my best wishes for a long and healthy pregnancy - clinicians aren't always right you know ;)


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## chetnaz

Hi there, i have 3 month old id twin boys who were in the same sac and shared a placenta. There was a very thin membrane seperating them though wth my two, although you can get id twins that are in the same sac, no membrane - is this how your friend's are? Or is there a membrane? I'm asking because if no membrane then this is the higher risk of id twins as they can get their cords entagled as well as getting twin to twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS), but if there is a thin membrane then the only other thing she has to worry about is TTTS which only affects 20% of id twin pregnancies. My first consultant was also very negative and kept talking about TTTS and how they may "die" as she ut it- if they got it. I complained and got another consultant, who was fantastic! I had the boys at 36wks + 4 days after being induced, natural delivery and the boys were home the next day! It really was a positive experience and the boys were perfectly healthy thank god, so its not all doom and gloom. If your friend needds to talk, i'd be happy to answer any of her ques, just pm me. hope all will be well x


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## bek74

I have no personal experience with this but know of a lady that did. Same sack and same placenta. TTTS was what they looked out for closely but she had no complications and had the twins naturally at 37wks.

There are horror stories in carrying single pregnancies and there are horror stories regarding multiples. All your friend can do is find a new doctor for starter, one a little more encouraging and be positive. Because they are in the same sack and sharing the same placenta she will be scanned more often and looked over very closely, so if by chance something came up, they will be on top of it.

Prem labour is common in carrying mulitples but that has nothing to do with same sack and same placenta, so make sure your friend gets plenty of rest and isn't on her feet all day.

Wishing her and her twins all the very best.


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## ladypotter

If for sure they do not have a membrane separating them then they are called Mo/Mo twins and typically from what I have heard, at least in the US, they make (or at least recommend I guess) a woman carrying mo/mo twins be hospitalized until the babies birth at 24wks or so. Some women can't get a good view of the membrane until 10-12wks, so hopefully they will find a membrane as then they don't have to worry about cord entanglement at least. Twin to Twin Transfusion can be handled and fixed if monitored and caught early, so hopefully she wont stress too much about it right now...just tell her to enjoy it and take it easy!! Good luck to her!


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## Laura2919

Identicals that share a placenta and sac arent rare. Its the common way for identicals. There is just many different types of both identicals. There are plenty of horror stories and plenty of good stories out there hun. She just needs to concentrate on her pregnancy, do all that she is told to do and relax.. She will go for regular scans and check ups anyway. 
Hope your friend has a safe and happy pregnancy.
I had early labour and yes it does happen and its scary but my girls are here and they are healthy. They were born at 29 weeks and they were out of hospital and home with us at 4 weeks.


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## Aftereight

I have identical twin girls, and they are monochorionic diamniotic (MoDi), which means they share one placenta, but have two amniotic sacs. So they have a thin membrane between them but it doesn't stop them kicking each other or cuddling together when they sleep. At our 4D scan, one of the girls was sitting on the other girls head! 

We were monitored closely from week 16 to week 24 for signs of twin-to-twin transfusion (where one twin takes more from the other). I was told that our consultant would be happy with a difference of upto 20% between each other. Our girls were currently within a 3% difference of each other so they're happy with our progress so far.

I hope your friend has a safe and happy pregnancy, and I'm sure that she'll be monitored closely by health professionals throughout.


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## TwoBumps

My boys aren't identical but there was a lady in the NICU at the same time as us and her identical boys were in the same sac, shared a placenta and had no membrane separating them. She told me that this was extremely rare and that she knew from the beginning that she would deliver her boys by c section at 32 weeks (presuming she got that far). Her boys were delivered at 32 weeks as planned, and although they had breathing issues this was related to their prematurity and nothing else. 

I hope your friend isn't too scared by the statistics as some doctors do have a tendancy to paint the worse case scenario! x


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## goddess25

Thanks girls for your reassurance, I will pass on some of this too her. She already has 2 boys 6 & 4 delivered by C section due to some uterus issues... as far as she knows so far there is no membrane between the twins but she had the first scan at 8 weeks so there may be some more news soon. All I can do is try to support her and keep her positive throughout.. I have a good feeling that everything will turn out ok for her. Once again thanks for your advice.


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## tashiep

hi

thanks for all the replies , it's me goddess 25's best pal and expectant mother of the twins! 
They think they do have a membrane between them so they are Mo/Di. We were told a lot of statisitcs about ttts and chances of neurodevelopmental problems. my doctor wasn't over the top , we did ask! [ regretting that now] 
Feeling scared but also excited to have 2 little babies, just hope we get there. 
any positive stories or support really welcomed as am such a worrier.
thanks so much to my pal who cares about me not matter how far awat we are. love ya


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## Laura2919

tashiep said:


> hi
> 
> thanks for all the replies , it's me goddess 25's best pal and expectant mother of the twins!
> They think they do have a membrane between them so they are Mo/Di. We were told a lot of statisitcs about ttts and chances of neurodevelopmental problems. my doctor wasn't over the top , we did ask! [ regretting that now]
> Feeling scared but also excited to have 2 little babies, just hope we get there.
> any positive stories or support really welcomed as am such a worrier.
> thanks so much to my pal who cares about me not matter how far awat we are. love ya

Hiya.. Congratulations! Yeah there are horror stories mine being one but look at my two now.. born at 29 weeks and in less than 4 months will be 2!! 
Enjoy it and I know you will worry but what will be will be so just relax and enjoy and do what the professionals tell ya.. Good luck.


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## chetnaz

tashiep said:


> hi
> 
> thanks for all the replies , it's me goddess 25's best pal and expectant mother of the twins!
> They think they do have a membrane between them so they are Mo/Di. We were told a lot of statisitcs about ttts and chances of neurodevelopmental problems. my doctor wasn't over the top , we did ask! [ regretting that now]
> Feeling scared but also excited to have 2 little babies, just hope we get there.
> any positive stories or support really welcomed as am such a worrier.
> thanks so much to my pal who cares about me not matter how far awat we are. love ya

Hello! Congratulations on your twins, welcome to the club! I know exact;y hoe you feel, it is such a scary thing carrying twins, esp identical as there are more risks involved. The moment I found out, I made the mistake of coming home and googling and completely freaking myself out about what could go wrong. But here they are, three and a half months and thriving!! Like you they were Mo/Di twins, but thankfully all went well and I delivered them naturally at 36 weeks and 4 days and was home with them the next day! You are welcome to read my blog (the link is below) and if you have any questions, don't hesitate to PM me. Enjoy your pregnancy and try not to panic :) Im sure all will be well. Good luck x


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## okciv

I have mo/di girls aswell and get a scan every 2 weeks to check for TTTS


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## HCB

I am also pregnant with identical twins. They only have one placenta but do have a very thin membrane between them, which the sonographer took a while to find but was pleased about when she did. To be honest, we haven't thought about any of the implications of having identical twins although I'm sure we may well do tomorrow as we have our first appointment with the consultant. I've got appointments for a scan every 4 weeks from my 20 week scan (I'm 15+5 today) and have been advised I'll also see the consultant every 4 weeks in between these so they will be keeping an eye on us every 2 weeks. I'll know more tomorrow so will come back here with any info I find out.


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## chetnaz

HCB said:


> I am also pregnant with identical twins. They only have one placenta but do have a very thin membrane between them, which the sonographer took a while to find but was pleased about when she did. To be honest, we haven't thought about any of the implications of having identical twins although I'm sure we may well do tomorrow as we have our first appointment with the consultant. I've got appointments for a scan every 4 weeks from my 20 week scan (I'm 15+5 today) and have been advised I'll also see the consultant every 4 weeks in between these so they will be keeping an eye on us every 2 weeks. I'll know more tomorrow so will come back here with any info I find out.

Hi hun, congrats on your twins. If you have id twins they should be scanning you every 2 weeks not every 4 as they need to keep an eye on the babies growth and look out for TTTS. I would suggest you ask them about this. Hope all goes well x


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## pregmonodi

I am also expecting mono/di twins and have only heard of TTTS being a complication and preterm labour. I have not heard of any development issues that could occur. Can anyone share what they have heard regarding any developmental problems? I want to know the statistics and be prepared for what I am getting into.


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## HCB

They would have scanned me every two weeks, with the sonographer and with the consultant two weeks apart. However, when I saw the consultant he said they would cancel all of the scans that had already been booked in for me after my 20 week anomaly scan and just see him from then on. I don't know how often that will be though as he didn't say. My next appointment with him is supposed to be at 22 weeks but it has been made when I'm almost 23 weeks. 

He went over the different ways twins can be in regards to when the eggs split and, therefore, how much they share (the later the egg splits the more they share until you get conjoined twins) as well as obviously non-ID twins. He also mentioned that there is 30% chance of one being significantly bigger than the other and a 15% chance of getting TTTS so it isn't uncommon but can be easily treated. He also mentioned that there was a higher risk of pre-eclampsia, pre-term birth and gestational diabetes (especially as my dad and grandad both had diabetes) but he didn't dwell on any of the negatives and said it in a matter of fact kind of way so we have felt OK about it all and not worried. He had a quick look on the scan to check everything over again and was happy with mine and the babies health and said they had symmetrical development so sent us on our way.

That appointment was at 16 weeks and my next scan is at 20 weeks.


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## BeckyD

So glad to have found this thread. We went for our 12 week scan last week and like several others on here are MC /DA as they call it in England. 

On Thursday we had the consultant do a nuchal fold scan and the babies were 61 and 62mm so very close in size and he measured heart flow etc. 

We have no scan now till 16 weeks and will then be every 2 weeks. 

I spent the first part of last week wondering how we would cope space wise and financially, especially as my husbanfd is currently looking for a job. Then the second half of the week worrying whether we would even get that far with TTTS etc. I guess all I can hope is that they keep growing at a similar / normal rate.

I am also getting quite a few cramps in my tummy but they seem to be in different areas on different days so I think thats ok??


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## MrsPoole1235

Please tell your friend not to be too worried just yet...I found out I was having twins when I was a little over 7 weeks along! They started out by telling me they thought something was wrong with one baby because it is a lot smaller than the other and they thought it was attached to the uterine wall. At my almost 9 week ultrasound they still couldnt tell if the babies were mono/mono or mono/di but I had another ultrasound yesterday at 10 weeks and my babies are mono/di but they have a very thin membrane that you can barely see! They did tell me just like everyone else there is the possibility of TTTS but they will keep a close watch on them and make sure everything is still going okay...I was very scared until yestreday!! Tell her not to let it get to her because it isnt good for the babies and to keep google forums such as this one for positive things!! Good luck to your friend!!


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## MrsPoole1235

pregmonodi said:


> I am also expecting mono/di twins and have only heard of TTTS being a complication and preterm labour. I have not heard of any development issues that could occur. Can anyone share what they have heard regarding any developmental problems? I want to know the statistics and be prepared for what I am getting into.

My doctor also told me that the chances of preeclampsia and gestational diabetes is a little higher in mono/di but seems like everything should be okay we just have to keep a watch on them for the TTTS. I am really glad to find someone else expecting mono/di as this is my 3rd pregnancy but 1st set of twins so I feel like its all new again. Good luck in your pregnancy!!


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