# Identical or Fraternal... how can you tell..or when did you find out?



## Ambersachef

I know this seems like a silly question. but... how did you find out if you were having fraternal or identical twins and how did they know?
I know that if they are in the same sac then they are autmatically identical. 
I went to my last u/s and the tech said that it is possible for mine to be identical even though they are in seperate sacs. He said it was possible for the egg to have split so early on that the babies are in two sacs. 
On my u/s the black space between the two isnt big like most ultrasounds i have seen. so i was wondering if anyone else has/had identical twins in seperate sacs?


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## _Vicky_

We were told the same thing - although there was lots of room between the cells at six weeks (scan below)

We planned to get the boys tested if we were in doubt once they were born - tamba do one I think for about £80. However the boys had different colouring and by a few weeks old different colour eyes so that answered that question for us. 

HTH xx

our 6 week scan 
https://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/29411_391902947474_615397474_4222562_8164153_n.jpg


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## mamato2more

They told us right away that they were fraternal judging by the twin peak sign, the distance between the sacs...They were right..One looks like Daddy, one looks like me!


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## Ambersachef

Vicky- at my 6 week scan there was a line about 1/4 the size of yours between the two sacs. Because it was so thin thats what made my ultrasound tech think it could possibly be identical.


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## heyyady

It is possible to have identicals that are in separate sacks AND separate placentas- if one egg split within the first 3 days. The only way to tell with these types of identicals is to either wait and see as they grow up or have a rather expensive dna test done.

Typically identicals share a placenta, sometimes with separate gestational sacks, sometimes with the same (although it's the scary one if they're in the same sack- LOTS of risk factors), and fraternals have separate placentas and obviously separate sacks.


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## darkNlovely

I was wondering the same thimg---good thread.


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## BeckyD

If you watch the national geographic 'multiples in the womb' documentary it explains more - have bumped the link separately. 
While the babies are still in the womb, the medical professionals need to treat pregnancies differently dependent on whether or not they are growing as:
DCDA - separate chorions and amnions (If you have 2 placentas will always be DCDA - normally fraternal but possibly identical. Can also have a fused placenta if positioned closely together)
MCDA - shared amnion but separate chorions (def identical). 
DCDA - shared amnion and chorion - rare and much more risky (def identical).


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## Hannah C

Ours have separate amniotic sacks, but it isn't clear whether they are sharing one large placenta, or if it is two fused together... Apparently they will be able to tell after I deliver.

We were told that if it is one placenta, they are def. identical, but if it is two, they may be identical but more likely fraternal.

Even though we know they are both boys, it is nice to have a little "we are waiting to find out" mystery.


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## heyyady

Hannah- how far along were you when they told you that there were twins??


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## Carebear512

We found out at 6 weeks. We are having triplets and 2 are identical and 1 fraternal


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## Hannah C

heyyady said:


> Hannah- how far along were you when they told you that there were twins??

Hi Heyyady,

This was a (happy) surprise pregnancy, so I didn't even confirm it with a pregnancy test until I was 9 weeks gone :blush:

We had our first ultrasound at 12 weeks and found out then. Quite a surprise, indeed!

xoxox


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## Anna1982

Ambersachef said:


> I know this seems like a silly question. but... how did you find out if you were having fraternal or identical twins and how did they know?
> I know that if they are in the same sac then they are autmatically identical.
> I went to my last u/s and the tech said that it is possible for mine to be identical even though they are in seperate sacs. He said it was possible for the egg to have split so early on that the babies are in two sacs.
> On my u/s the black space between the two isnt big like most ultrasounds i have seen. so i was wondering if anyone else has/had identical twins in seperate sacs?

weve been told the same thing
especially as they cant determine if theres seperate placentas with my girls, there could be or they coulda fused,

so they will look at the placenta after birth

I had a private scan as well and he really thought they could be identicle especially both being girls

so we shall see lol


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## darkNlovely

The reason why I lean towards indenticals in my case is because the clinic told me that I only drop one egg, which means that most likely the embryo split? who knows.


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## babybx2

I am having identical twins. This was confirmed at 12 week scan. One placenta and a very thin line seperating them. Basically one sac with a membrane between them x


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## heyyady

babybx- that's what mine are, too- I get worried about that membrane since it's so thin, but they all keep telling me I'd be surprised at how strong it is- that there's no way they could break it open. It's sooooo thin that there are days at ultrasound that we have to wait for one of them to kick it so that it flutters just so we can see it! lol


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## babybx2

heyyady - I know what you mean, it looks like a little thread of silk doesn't it. We always see it floating around in there. I heard that it is 2 layers thick whereas when you have 2 sacs, it makes the layers between the twins 4 layers thick.

Congrats by the way, you are just over a week ahead of me xxx Are you able to virth naturally or are you having to have a c section like me? x


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## heyyady

I'll be having a section- Hopefully the first week of May- Lately they have their own ideas about coming out! :lol: 
we discussed and weighed all our options and the risk factors to the girls and decided that a cseaction was the safest route for them.


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## Pink Pumpkin

Hi, 

I have 6 month old identical twin boys, but the entire way through my pregnancy i was told there were non-identical as they both had seperate sacs and placentas.

At my 20 wk scan though we were told that if the twins were of the same sex (which we found out they were) there was still a one in three chance of the boys still being identical. 

Apparantly sometimes the egg splits so early on, that although scans will show supposidly non-identical twins with thier own sacs and placentas, they are actually identical, but this is only determined via a DNA test.

When the boys were born, we could tell them apart - just(see what you think from the pic on my profile!)! , but others struggled, so as they were the same sex, had the same blood type we decided to do the test through DNA Solutions who were recommended by Tamba and discounted through them too. 

We had the results back and we were amazed to find out that are boys were 100% identical!

Glad we did it now as we wernt going to bother as we thought they were slightly different, but hey def worth doing !


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## heyyady

I think if I didn't know for sure that mine are identical, I'd have to have the test done- it would drive me bonkers not knowing! :lol


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## Ambersachef

Heyyady and babybx2, can ya'll post a pic of your ultrasound so that i can compare. I'm kinda new to this so i'm gonna try today to post a pic of mine. :)


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## ni2ki

my identical girls at 8weeks just so you can see x
 



Attached Files:







twins8weekssmall.jpg
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## Ashley9603

Im having fraternal boys,I found out I was pregnant with twins at 5 weeks(ultrasound)found out that they were fraternal at 10 weeks.(Had a cerclage and they wanted to know for sure)((doctors)


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## Nivy7272

At 8 weeks, they did a transvaginal scan on me and said it was twins, and they were fraternal because they were in 2 different sacs. That is all they said and I never questioned it, lol!


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## AustinGurrl

Carebear512 said:


> We found out at 6 weeks. We are having triplets and 2 are identical and 1 fraternal

Carebear512- I am in Texas and expecting triplets, too! Are you in Austin, by any chance? 

We found out about the triplets at our 7 week scan... I had done injections, so not a total surprise, but a BIG one, nonetheless! Ours are all separate sacs, separate placentas, so we are assuming all fraternal, but have been told due to early splitting, there is a possibility of identicals. Don't yet know about boys/girls.... and really excited to find out that info!!!


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## heyyady

Austin- congrats on your triplets! Wow- I can't even imagine :) Keep us posted as to what they are!


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