Twin pregnancy, 2 sacks but one placenta...

nelehninger · July 2013

Hey everyone,

I am a first time mom, and just found out that I am having twins. Each twin is in its own sack, but they are sharing a placenta. Has anyone else had multiples with a shared placenta? If so, did everything go OK? Is there anything I need to know? Is there anything I can do to make the pregnancy "safer"?

I appreciate any help you can give, thanks!!

Janelle

PurpleIris30 · July 2013

Welcome! You are having monochorionic (one placenta) diamniotic (two amniotic sacs) twins, which you will often see abbreviated as as mo-di or mono-di twins on here. I'm pregnant with mo-di twins (currently just about 21 weeks), as are a lot of other ladies on this board.

With mo-di twins, if you are not already, you will probably see a perinatologist or MFM (maternal fetal medicine) specialist instead of or in addition to your regular OB. You will have a little extra monitoring -- probably starting at 16 or 18 weeks -- for something called twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS), which is a complication that is possible with mo-di twins. You'll also have more monitoring towards the end of your pregnancy to keep an eye on the placenta.

Congratulations on your twins!

nelehninger · July 2013

That's really helpful, thank you so much! And good luck w/ your babies!

iloveburritos · July 2013

Question! I'm also having twins...I had a sonogram done at 10 weeks which shows they each have their own sac but I'm not sure if they share a placenta. The doctor didn't mention anything about the placenta(s) either way at the sonogram so I'm assuming they probably have their own but I don't know for sure. Is there a way I can tell this from the sonogram picture or is 10 weeks too early for that to show up definitively? I have my 13 week NT scan next Wednesday anyway, but I'm still curious.

nelehninger · July 2013

My doctor noticed at 9 weeks that they were only seeing one yolk sac and confirmed only one placenta at the 11 week ultrasound. By 13 weeks, you should know for sure.

JAck5209 · July 2013

I had an ultrasound yesterday and they suspect a mono-di pregnancy but will confirm at the NT scan. Seems like it's hard to see at 9 weeks but should be more clear at 11.5 weeks.

tiffwedd · July 2013

Us! We had a very healthy, uneventful pregnancy. Just take good care of yourself and get lots of rest.

Congrats!

yinyang124 · July 2013

Congrats! My boys were mono/di. I had preterm labor and cervical shortening complications, but nothing related to them sharing a placenta!

PurpleIris30 · July 2013

iloveburritos said:

Question! I'm also having twins...I had a sonogram done at 10 weeks which shows they each have their own sac but I'm not sure if they share a placenta. The doctor didn't mention anything about the placenta(s) either way at the sonogram so I'm assuming they probably have their own but I don't know for sure. Is there a way I can tell this from the sonogram picture or is 10 weeks too early for that to show up definitively? I have my 13 week NT scan next Wednesday anyway, but I'm still curious.

When you say that they each have "their own sac" at 10 weeks, do you mean gestational sacs or amniotic sacs? You should call your doctor to clarify; he/she will be able to tell you if you have two placentas or not. It also may be possible to tell from a 10 week ultrasound photo, depending on the photo. Especially in very early pregnancy, two gestational sacs will show up as two black blobs on the screen (this means you have two placentas). You can also have one gestational sac with two babies inside, and very, very thin membrane dividing the babies (which means two amniotic sacs).

iloveburritos · July 2013

iloveburritos said:

Question! I'm also having twins...I had a sonogram done at 10 weeks which shows they each have their own sac but I'm not sure if they share a placenta. The doctor didn't mention anything about the placenta(s) either way at the sonogram so I'm assuming they probably have their own but I don't know for sure. Is there a way I can tell this from the sonogram picture or is 10 weeks too early for that to show up definitively? I have my 13 week NT scan next Wednesday anyway, but I'm still curious.

When you say that they each have "their own sac" at 10 weeks, do you mean gestational sacs or amniotic sacs? You should call your doctor to clarify; he/she will be able to tell you if you have two placentas or not. It also may be possible to tell from a 10 week ultrasound photo, depending on the photo. Especially in very early pregnancy, two gestational sacs will show up as two black blobs on the screen (this means you have two placentas). You can also have one gestational sac with two babies inside, and very, very thin membrane dividing the babies (which means two amniotic sacs).

There are two black blobs with one little baby-blur in each blob. The dividing line between the two blobs seems substantial.

PurpleIris30 · July 2013

iloveburritos said:

iloveburritos said:

Question! I'm also having twins...I had a sonogram done at 10 weeks which shows they each have their own sac but I'm not sure if they share a placenta. The doctor didn't mention anything about the placenta(s) either way at the sonogram so I'm assuming they probably have their own but I don't know for sure. Is there a way I can tell this from the sonogram picture or is 10 weeks too early for that to show up definitively? I have my 13 week NT scan next Wednesday anyway, but I'm still curious.

When you say that they each have "their own sac" at 10 weeks, do you mean gestational sacs or amniotic sacs? You should call your doctor to clarify; he/she will be able to tell you if you have two placentas or not. It also may be possible to tell from a 10 week ultrasound photo, depending on the photo. Especially in very early pregnancy, two gestational sacs will show up as two black blobs on the screen (this means you have two placentas). You can also have one gestational sac with two babies inside, and very, very thin membrane dividing the babies (which means two amniotic sacs).
There are two black blobs with one little baby-blur in each blob. The dividing line between the two blobs seems substantial.

This sounds like dichorionic (2 placentas) diamniotic (2 amniotic sacs) or di-di twins. I'd still want to confirm with my doctor, if it was me, but if there is a substantial dividing line between the blobs, then I'd say you have two placentas and di-di twins.

MissMandyD · July 2013

I am also having MO-DI twins. I am 17w3d and thus far I have had some complications including 3 weeks of unexplained bleeding/spotting that has now stopped--I didn't realize that spotting is more common with twins. You can expect that you will see a MFM and an OB or just a MFM for additional monitoring. I also got put on a whole ton of additional vitamins (8 pills a day) and have ultrasounds every 2 weeks from now until the end. It is an exciting journey and you will learn so much! I learn something new every time I go to the doctor.

SWA80 · July 2013

I'm 29 weeks with mo-di boys. My advice is to do enough research that you know the right questions to ask, but try not to obsess or stress too much. You may be complication free or you may develop issues later on so just try to enjoy the early days as much as possible. I sometimes feel frustrated that I was robbed of a "normal" pregnancy experience but thinking of holding my TWO little boys always makes me feel better.

Mrs. Alice · July 2013

PurpleIris30 said:

Welcome! You are having monochorionic (one placenta) diamniotic (two amniotic sacs) twins, which you will often see abbreviated as as mo-di or mono-di twins on here. I'm pregnant with mo-di twins (currently just about 21 weeks), as are a lot of other ladies on this board.

With mo-di twins, if you are not already, you will probably see a perinatologist or MFM (maternal fetal medicine) specialist instead of or in addition to your regular OB. You will have a little extra monitoring -- probably starting at 16 or 18 weeks -- for something called twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS), which is a complication that is possible with mo-di twins. You'll also have more monitoring towards the end of your pregnancy to keep an eye on the placenta.

Congratulations on your twins!

Yep that's about what I would say too. Especially with mono/di twins, it's really important to eat lots of protein. If you can't get enough from diet, drinking boost or ensure shakes daily can help. Also educate yourself about the risks and complications, ensure you are getting proper monitoring, and know the warning signs. With a good medical team and monitoring they can hopefully detect issues early if they should arise. Mine had TTTS and other related issues that required them to be born 12 weeks premature but they are doing very well now. Congrats and good luck!

kgs0505 · July 2013

I had mo-di twin girls. They were born at 35w 6d due to pre-e and are TTTS survivers. They had to have fetal laser surgery at 20w. They are now nearly 4 months old and perfectly healthy

Congrats and I wish you a healthy and uneventful pregnancy!

24karat · July 2013

I just gave birth to mo-di boys. They were full term for twins (37wks) and I had them via c/s due to both babies being transverse. I had PTL that landed me on MBR for the last 3mos, mild GD, and one baby had slightly elevated AF but both were perfectly healthy when born.

As PP have said, keep your stress to a minimum. You will probably hear or read some scary things that have a slightly higher chance of happening with mo-di twins but don't let them stress you out. Google can be your best friend and worst enemy in this case. Ask lots of questions! Best wishes!

brookith · August 2013

Hi and Welcome! I have mono-di boys who just turned a year. They were born at 35w4d. I had no complications until pre-e at 35 weeks. Boys were completely healthy at birth. Enjoy the journey ahead!

CaliCarly77 · August 2013

Mine are di-di! But just wanted to butt in and say congratulations!! So exciting.

JTA2426 · August 2013

I have 6 week old mono-do boys. We were followed very closely by an MFM doc throughout the pregnancy and delivered at 34 weeks 1 day. They spent 10 days in the NICU, but had no complications from the shared placenta. I never had issues with BP or GD. Congrats and good luck! It has been so much fun so far.

ottid123 · August 2013

I am 4 days away from a scheduled induction at 37 1/2 weeks with mono di girls! Yes, there are some increased risks, but a large majority are uncomplicated. We have had a lot of monitoring, but no complications. Stay healthy and good luck!

megs2011 · August 2013

Congrats!

They told me at my first u/s that I was having di/di twins. The tech had a really hard time finding my dividing membrane. It was eventually found. It was super thin. She had to do an internal u/s and turn the brightness right up to even see it. I also think that there was only one outer sac too. I asked at my NT scan about the placentas, the tech told me that she saw 1 big one but said that there were 2 at my 10 week scan. I posted my u/s pic here when I first joined and everyone said mo/di for my twins. I'm getting a DNA test done to find out.

Twin pregnancy, 2 sacks but one placenta...

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