Chances of twins again?

aermels · June 2012

I conceived twins (fraternal) once naturally and my husband and I decided a couple of months ago that we would really like another baby. I have read that your chances of having twins a second time increases if you already had twins and I have read that clomid also increases your chances of multiples. I have been having problems getting my period regulated (granted it has only been a couple of months since off BC) and it seems that I may not even be ovulating. Before I even consider the possibility of taking Clomid or asking the doctor about it I wanted to know if anyone new the chances of having twins a second time after having twins naturally once and then taking clomid the second time around. I love my kids dearly, they are the light of my life but multiples are hardwork and I am 8 years older than the first time around and am not sure that I could handle having twins a second time around!

google123 · June 2012

lots of twins and more multiples are conceived on clomid. I don't know the percent.

SpinningJess · June 2012

Pretty sure I've read that once you have fraternals, your the odds of having them again goes down to 1/12. If you had fraternals without any ART, and you end up needing Clomid this time, I would think you'd be even more likely, but that's a question for your doctor.

nuttycoconut · June 2012

Clomid can make you ovulate more than 1 egg so yes you can have twins (or more) again. However if you are monitored by your doctor they can tell you how many follicles you have and you can decide whether or not to try that month and risk the chance of another set of multiples. I took Clomid 3 months in a row and always had 2 follicles but some people only have 1 while others have 3-4.

mizzougal08 · June 2012

If you take Clomid, GET MONITORED! That way like PP said, they'll know how many mature follies you have and you can decide if you want to trigger or not. There's no guarantees, but if you don't get monitored, you could end up with higher order multiples...even from the lowest dose of the med. GL!

google123 · June 2012

just an FYI, many times, even if you are monitored and the doctor only sees 1 or 2 mature follies...there have been many times when people have ended up pregnant with 4 or 5 babies. So, you are taking your chances on clomid. Could you not try a natural IUI cycle? Or down the line IVF...with a single embryo transfer (with no assisted hatching) as AH has been shown to cause a higher chance of ID twins.

K_coombs · June 2012

I am 16 weeks pregnant with twins because of Clomid. I did five cycles of clomid (because I have pcos) and I got pregnant with g/g fraternal twins Smile

Although twins do run in my family, My mother is an identical twin, my husbands grandfather is a fraternal twin, and my cousin on my Mother's side gave birth to Identical twin boys! So, I'm not sure if Clomid was a factor (My guess is that it was since I released multiple eggs). Good Luck!!

chickaboo1974 · June 2012

If you have only been off BC for a couple of months and had no trouble conceiving your twins (no history of IF)- then you need to not even think about clomid for awhile- It can take awhile to regulate after BC and can take awhile to conceive for a healthy fertile couple. I wouldn't take clomid until actively TTC (charting, temping) for around a year.

xoexpat · June 2012

SpinningJess:
Pretty sure I've read that once you have fraternals, your the odds of having them again goes down to 1/12. If you had fraternals without any ART, and you end up needing Clomid this time, I would think you'd be even more likely, but that's a question for your doctor.

From twinstwice.com/twins.html More Than One Set?If you have had fraternal twins already, your chance of having another set quadruples. This is because most women who conceive fraternals (without fertility drugs) show a pattern of releasing more than one egg per cycle. Your chance of a second set numerically, is about 1 in 3000.The odds of having one set of identicals and one set of fraternals is 1 in 10,000.If a woman has one set of identicals, her chance of having another is 1 in 70,000 or less.

The odds of having 3 sets of twins, of any kind, is 1 in 500,000.

GeauxTigers82 · June 2012

K_coombs:
I am 16 weeks pregnant with twins because of Clomid. I did five cycles of clomid (because I have pcos) and I got pregnant with g/g fraternal twins Although twins do run in my family, My mother is an identical twin, my husbands grandfather is a fraternal twin, and my cousin on my Mother's side gave birth to Identical twin boys! So, I'm not sure if Clomid was a factor (My guess is that it was since I released multiple eggs). Good Luck!!

Sounds like it could've been the clomid. Identical twins are not genetic. They are a freak of nature and can happen to anyone, so the fact that you have 2 sets in your family is just coincidence, not hereditary and wouldn't effect you at all. Also, the man's side of the family has nothing to do with it. Only the woman determines the outcome of twins (you either produce more than one egg, natural or assisted or your egg splits). The man does determine the sex of the baby though, so they're not totally useless Now...your husband can pass down his "twin gene" to his daughter, and then she would have a higher chance of having twins, but it wouldn't increase his chances of having twins.

AmyJoy728 · June 2012

chickaboo1974:
If you have only been off BC for a couple of months and had no trouble conceiving your twins (no history of IF)- then you need to not even think about clomid for awhile- It can take awhile to regulate after BC and can take awhile to conceive for a healthy fertile couple. I wouldn't take clomid until actively TTC (charting, temping) for around a year.

That. I got my twins from clomid, fourth cycle but first on 100mg.

tombomb84 · June 2012

First, if you have only been trying a couple months after stopping birth control you are really jumping the gun by even thinking about clomid. It takes your body time to regulate and impatience is definitely not a good reason to take fertility medications. Believe me, it is not fun or the easy route to take.

In general there is about a 10% chance of multiples with clomid.

aermels · June 2012

Agreed. My husband and I have been waiting for quite some time to start trying again (due to unrelated health issues) and I'm sure I'm jumping the gun a little but wanted to educate myself on all avenues.

I thank everyone for their advice and education. Much appreciated.

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