Shock for Parents: Identical or Fraternal Twins Can Be Misclassified

Shock for Parents: Identical or Fraternal Twins can be Misclassified

by HOMEDNA on 02/27/2017

Have you ever noticed how many more twins there are in the population now than when you were young? Multiple births have been on a steady upswing since 1980, most likely due to women choosing to have children in their 30s and even 40s. Because they produce more of a hormone that boosts ovulation or they use treatments (such as in vitro fertilization) to get pregnant, women who are having babies a little later in life are four times more likely than their younger counterparts to give birth to twins (Tchou). So do you have identical or fraternal twins?

If you are the lucky parents, how do you know for sure? Based on information from a British Study, relying on your doctor or ultrasound technician to give you a sure answer may not be the best idea, but doing a DNA test is! A twin zygosity test is a handy and affordable tool that parents can take advantage of to get sure answers. But first, here are some facts from a recent study you should be aware of.

The Shocking Truth: Twins are Sometimes Miscategorized

In 2012, a study released in the BJOG (a British medical journal) showed that a whopping 14.7% of parents who participated in the study were misinformed about whether their twins were identical or fraternal. Shocking revelations from a 2004 survey of members of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists showed that 81% of doctors believe that twins who gestate with separate placentas are fraternal. However, it’s now widely known that 25-30% of identical twins actually have separate placentas as well as amniotic sacs (Bakalar).

How do some identical twins end up with two placentas?

Identicals come from just one fertilized egg, and if that egg splits within three days of conception, there is time enough for separate membranes and placentas to grow from the egg sac (Baby Centre). If the egg splits later, then the identical twins will share a placenta, which is what happens 70-75% of the time.

So although it’s relatively rare for identical twins to have separate placentas, it happens often enough that parents should want to seek definitive answers after the babies are born. So how do you know if you have identical or fraternal twins?

Identical or Fraternal Twins? DNA Provides the Only Sure Answer

Once your babies are born, a Twin Zygosity DNA test can be done to see if they share an identical DNA profile or if they have different DNA profiles.

Identical DNA profiles: If all genetic markers tested for each baby are mirror images of each other, then the babies are identical twins.

Different DNA profiles: Even if babies of the same sex are hard to tell apart, they may still be fraternal twins. If their DNA profiles are markedly different from one another, then they are fraternal.

How the test is done

A Twin Zygosity DNA test is very simple and completely painless. Parents just swab the inside of each baby’s cheeks and along the gums with specialized buccal (cheek) swabs and submit the samples to an accredited DNA lab. Within a week, parents  have the definitive answer they’re looking for.

The Bottom Line

To wrap it all up, here are some things to remember:

  • If your babies are different sexes, then they are fraternal
  • If your babies are the same sex, they may be identical or fraternal
  • If your babies share an amniotic sac and placenta, they are identical
  • If your babies have separate amniotic sacs and placentas, you may have identical or fraternal twins

Only a DNA test can determine for sure if babies of the same sex who had separate amniotic sacs and placentas during gestation are identical or fraternal. So now you can know for sure if you identical or fraternal twins!

A Twin Zygosity test costs $199 and results are back in five business days.

To arrange a test, just give us a call at 800-344-9583 (M-F, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Eastern) and one of our experts will be happy to help.

LEARN MORE ABOUT A TWIN ZYGOSITY TEST from our parent company, DDC. 

 Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! If you have questions about paternity tests or other DNA testing services, please contact our  Client Support Center at 888-404-4363, Mon-Fri  from 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM Eastern Time. Our friendly, expert representatives are ready and happy to help. Get answers anytime by visiting our Help Center. 

Sources

Approved by the BabyCentre Medical Advisory Board. “How Will I Know If My Twins Are Identical?” BabyCentre. Baby Center, LLC., n.d. Web. 06 Sept. 2016. <http://www.babycentre.co.uk/a1017891/how-will-i-know-if-my-twins-are-identical>.

 Bakalar, Nicholas. “Childbirth: Identical or Fraternal? Not Always Clear.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 05 Mar. 2012. Web. 06 Sept. 2016. <http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/06/health/research/study-finds-twins-can-easily-be-misclassified.html?_r=0>.

 Tchou, Angela. “Are Twins Taking Over? The Dramatic Rise in Multiple Births.” Slate Magazine. Slate, 22 Aug. 2011. Web. 06 Sept. 2016. <http://www.slate.com/articles/life/twins/2011/08/are_twins_taking_over.html>.

 van Jaarsveld C, Llewellyn C, Fildes A, Fisher A, Wardle J. Are my twins identical: parents may be misinformed by prenatal scan observations. BJOG 2012;119:517-518. 29 Feb.2012. 06 Sept.2016. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1471-0528.2012.03281.x/full.

DNA proves Shocking Truth about Fertility Doctor

DNA Testing Reveals Shocking Truth about Fertility Doctor

by HOMEDNA on 09/26/2016

DNA and DNA testing have become remarkable tools for helping to uncover the truth, and were spotlighted again in a September, 2016 news story in People Magazine.

Dealing with infertility is hard enough on any couple’s relationship, but imagine if you discovered years later that the person you thought was the sperm donor really wasn’t. Even worse, consider how you’d feel if you found out the donor was your own doctor! It’s a betrayal of trust that dozens of Indiana couples are dealing with right now.

Infertility Nightmare: What DNA Testing Revealed

Records show that allegations of impregnating patients with his own sperm had been leveled against Dr. Cline numerous times over the years, all of which he’d denied. However, some children of the doctor’s former patients, while researching their ancestry, discovered through DNA testing that they were related to a number of Dr. Cline’s own relatives. And it wasn’t a coincidence!

The Shocking Truth and What Happens Now

Following a lengthy investigation, authorities allege that Cline donated his own sperm at least 50 times over an eight-year period during the 1970s! The doctor had told his patients dealing with infertility that the donations came from medical and dental students, although he did concede to some of his former patients’ children that he used his own when necessary. It’s not clear how many children he may have actually fathered, but evidence from DNA could help provide those answers.

On September 12, Dr. Donald J. Cline was charged with two felony counts of obstruction of justice since he is alleged to have misled investigators all these years.

Learn more about DNA

Protecting Families through DNA Paternity Testing

When a couple struggling with infertility conceives (using their own eggs and their own sperm), they trust that their beautiful baby comes from both parents. Unfortunately-although they are rare-mistakes can happen when conceiving through in vitro fertilization (IVF).

The Cline story had to do with a sperm donor, which is a situation where fraud is relatively difficult to expose. But when the identities of both parents are known, a simple paternity test conducted at an accredited lab can quickly resolve any suspicions of a mix-up during IVF.

How Paternity Testing Works

  • Get a paternity testing kit over-the-counter at your local store
  • Collect DNA from mother, father, and child, using painless, non-invasive cheek swabs
  • Mail samples to the lab associated with the lab (make sure it’s accredited!)
  • The results report will clearly show the biological relationship between participants

Learn more

The Bottom Line

The way Dr. Cline allegedly deceived his patients all those years ago is shockingly inexcusable, and mistakes with infertility treatments are going to happen from time to time. It’s important to know that, thanks to DNA and easy-access to affordability paternity testing, all parents have the ability to discover the truth. Just remember that not all home paternity tests are created equal, so it’s wise to do some research before you buy.

BUY A PATERNITY KIT NOW

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! If you have questions about paternity tests or other DNA testing services, please contact our  Client Support Center at 888-404-4363, Mon-Fri  from 9 AM to 6 PM Eastern Time. Our friendly, expert representatives are ready and happy to help. Get answers anytime by visiting our Help Center. 

Sources

Alvarez, Manny, Ph.D. “Ivf Mistakes: Making Sure The Baby Is Yours.” Fox News. FOX News Network, 26 Mar. 2007. Web. 20 Sept. 2016. <http://www.foxnews.com/story/2007/03/26/ivf-mistakes-making-sure-baby-is-yours.html>.

 Borland, Sophie. “IVF Clinic Blunders Treble in Three Years as Ten Mistakes Every Week Bring Heartbreak to Couples.” Mail Online. Associated Newspapers, 12 Aug. 2011. Web. 20 Sept. 2016. <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2025501/IVF-clinic-blunders-10-mistakes-week-bring-heartbreak-couples.html>.

 @ChrisHarris@chrisharrisment. “Fertility Doctor Allegedly Used His Own Sperm 50 Times to Impregnate Patients.” PEOPLE.com. Time, Inc., 13 Sept. 2016. Web. 20 Sept. 2016. <http://www.people.com/article/indianapolis-fertility-doctor-allegedly-used-his-sperm-impregnate-patients>.

 O’Farrell, Maggie. “IVF Mother: ‘I Love Him to Bits. But He’s Probably Not Mine'” The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 29 Oct. 2009. Web. 20 Sept. 2016. <http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2009/oct/30/ivf-errors-baby-mix-up>.

Bridget Jones’s Baby’ Spotlights Need for Paternity Testing

by HOMEDNA on 09/14/2016

The Need for Paternity Testing Comes to the Silver Screen

The major motion picture Bridget Jones’s Baby is (naturally) about Bridget-a loveable woman-next-door who is pregnant and isn’t sure which of her two suitors is the father of her baby. Paternity testing is occasionally in the news for high-profile celebrity cases, but is the need for this service really that great in the general population?

A Few Paternity Testing Statistics

  • 41% of U.S. births in 2014 were out of wedlock. That’s a 33% increase in 10 years. And the rate is 68% for black babies (CDC)
  • 2% of men are unknowingly raising children who aren’t biologically theirs (KU Leuven Laboratory study, 2016)
  • Industry insiders estimate that nearly 1,000,000 peace-of-mind and legal paternity tests are performed each year in America, 100,000 of which are from at-home kits sold at retail (IRi).

Why is it important for a child to have a relationship with their biological father?

Children who live absent a biological father are 2-3 times more likely to:

  • experience emotional and behavioral problems
  • be a victim of child abuse
  • engage in criminal behavior
  • live in poverty
  • use drugs (Source: National Center for Fathering)

Paternity Testing is Real Life-Not Just the Movies

So although the new Bridget Jones movie is a light-hearted comedy, in the real world getting a paternity test can be stressful, and results have potentially life-changing consequences. The option to collect and submit DNA from home, with affordable paternity testing performed by an accredited lab, mitigates a lot of the stress and makes the test more accessible to everyone-especially a girl-next-door like Bridget Jones.

Steve Smith, Executive Director at IDENTIGENE, says, ‘I’m not surprised that the need for paternity testing is being included as a theme in a major motion picture. We process thousands of tests a month at our lab and the desire to take advantage of DNA science for paternity answers is definitely becoming more mainstream.’

 BUY A PATERNITY KIT NOW

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! If you have questions about paternity tests or other DNA testing services, please contact our  Client Support Center at 888-404-4363, Mon-Fri  from 9 AM to 6 PM Eastern Time. Our friendly, expert representatives are ready and happy to help. Get answers anytime by visiting our Help Center. 

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