First Signs of Twin Pregnancy

The first signs of twin pregnancy are similar to the first signs of a single baby pregnancy. However, there are some extra clues to look for that may indicate you are carrying twins.

Are kissing twins in your future?

Basic First Signs of Pregnancy

There are many common first signs of pregnancy, including:

• Absence of your menstruation cycle. This sign is usually present during your entire pregnancy. However, some women still get what appears to be a period even when they are pregnant. It’s usually shedding of uterine lining, but always talk to your doctor if you have vaginal bleeding and you think you may be pregnant.
• Morning sickness, although the term “morning” is misleading as many women experience night sickness, afternoon sickness, and, in some cases, all day sickness. Hopefully this is a sign you won't experience. Morning sickness tends to start about two to eight weeks after conception and can occur indefinitely.
• Darkening of the area around your nipple – otherwise known as the areola. This is noticeable during the first trimester.
• Breast pain is actually one of the more common signs of pregnancy that women first notice probably because, well, it’s painful. Breast tenderness and pain during pregnancy feels like the pain you may get before your period. Your breasts may also feel tingling.
• Frequent urination. This is a later sign of pregnancy, normally not occurring until the eighth week after your conception date. Still it can happen sooner. This is one of those symptoms that will get worse as your pregnancy continues.

If you have any of the above signs and symptoms, you can take one of the early pregnancy tests that are available. If you aren’t sure which test is right for you, read this handy home pregnancy test overview. To have some pregnancy guessing fun, try this neat "Am I Pregnant?" Quiz.

Regardless of whether you take a home pregnancy test or not, you should always make an appointment with your doctor or midwife if your think you’re pregnant. If you don’t think you’re pregnant but have some of the symptoms above, it’s still smart to call your doctor as these symptoms can indicate other problems.

Natural and Behavioral First Signs of Twin Pregnancy

Some first signs of twin pregnancy are not physical symptoms at all but are behavior and heredity related. If you know your history, you have a better shot at guessing if you could ever have twins.

• IVF: in vitro fertilization. While IVF does not guarantee a twin pregnancy, you are more likely to be carrying twins if you received IVF treatments to become pregnant. In typical populations, twin births occur in around 1 in 90 pregnancies. IVF.com notes that IVF pregnancies result in twin births about 25 percent of the time.
• Family history. Seeing twins on your family tree increases your odds of becoming pregnant with twins yourself.
• Age. Women over thirty are more likely to twins, but they are also more likely to have IVF. So far, studies have not separated the two distinctions to see if IVF is the cause of the increase in twin pregnancies. Still, being over thirty makes you more likely statistically to have twins.
• Prior pregnancy. If you have been pregnant before, you are more likely to conceive twins than if you are pregnant a first time. This is especially true if you already have a set of multiples.
• Race. African-American women conceive more twins than any other race.

Physical Symptoms of Twin Pregnancies

Most of the common first signs of twin pregnancy vary little from the first signs of a singleton pregnancy. The main difference is usually the impact or intensity of the pregnancy symptoms.

Your symptoms may be exaggerated because a woman carrying twins produces more pregnancy hormones than a woman carrying one baby. More hormones can equal intensified symptoms. Thus the frequent urination, tiredness, morning sickness, and breast aches of a single baby pregnancy may be two-fold in a twin pregnancy. Some research has noted that mothers carrying twins often have extreme morning sickness. Increased levels of the hormone hCG and the protein molecule alpha-fetoprotein are more common during twin pregnancies.

However, the most important thing to realize is that twins or not, each pregnancy is unique. Extra morning sickness, being more tired, or having lots of mood swings may or may not be related to a twin pregnancy. If your pregnancy symptoms seem extreme, always make an appointment with your care provider.

Rapid weight gain is another common sign of a multiple pregnancy. Most women gain weight slower in the first trimester, while a woman carrying twins may quickly gain weight. Your doctor or midwife can tell if you’re larger than average, and possibly carrying twins, based on the size of your uterus, body weight by scale, and by measuring around your belly.

Of course, one of the best ways to tell if you’re carrying twins is if your care provider and you can hear two heartbeats at your check-ups. Usually by about 12 weeks, you’ll hear the double heartbeat. Sometimes an early ultrasound to look for multiple fetuses can work as well, but heartbeat sounds are more reliable.

Learn more about multiple births.

• Summer Maternity Fashion
• Fashionable Maternity Clothes
• 9 Months Pregnant
• Gender Selection and Conception
• Conception Myths

• How Soon Can I Take a Pregnancy Test
• Natural Ways to Induce Labor
• How to Conceive a Boy
• How to Conceive a Girl
• Early Pregnancy Symptoms

• How to Conceive Twins
• Pregnancy Symptoms with Twins
• HCG Levels in Early Pregnancy
• Signs of Pregnancy
• Pregnant with Twins