making twins

can two people with no history of twins in their family conceive twins and if the couple is mix race like black and white will the twins be different colors?


This discussion is related to Twins.

[shootingfor4]

i had two foster kids live with me through the summer that were twins. they were black but they were not even close in their skin color. so i'm sure it can happen with bi racial twins as well.

[Me2mommy2b]

anything is possible.  It's less likely if there is no history of multiples in the family but it does happen (but very RARE).  I work with twin boys and one is lighter than the other (I believe they're Dominican) so it's very possible.  

[Linzola1]

It is possible that 2 people w/o any multiples in the family concieve (conceive) them... Happens quite a bit honestly. I am not sure about the difference in skin tone but I have seen where the twins are very equal skin tones and some are not even close! Either way they are absolutely adorable! :)

[AnnieBrooke]

Fraternal twins can run in families, but only down the line from the mom's family.  Identical twins are just luck of the draw.  Presumably, identical twins would be the same color, since they come from the same egg.  But it is definitely possible for fraternal twins to be different colors -- a biracial British couple made the news recently because they just had their second (!) pair of twins in which one child has dad's color and one child has mom's color.

From another site, written by a geneticist, here are some factors that increase the chance of having twins:  

"-  Mother's age. A 35-year-old mother is four times more likely than a woman under the age of 20 to have twins. After age 35, however, the chance of having twins naturally decreases.

"-  Nutrition. Women who eat poorly are less likely to have twins. Tall and overweight women, on the other hand, are more likely to have twins.

-  Previous births. This is because the twin rate goes up after a previous birth."

And of course, fertility drugs.

[Me2mommy2b]

Annie, interesting info.

[baishagirl]

Yes it is possible.  I'm white my husband is hispanic and I had one twin come out white, blonde hair blue eyes, the other had olive skin, black hair and dark brown eyes!  It's crazy!