Coital Frequency and Twinning

2015

Physicians and other medical professionals do not always provide new parents with an accurate diagnosis of their twins’ zygosity. An overview of this problem is presented, supplemented by an interview with a mother who recently learned that her 2-year-old ‘dizygotic (DZ)’ twin girls are actually ‘monozygotic (MZ)’. Reviews of two case studies, one of twins with sex-discordance and chimerism and the other of twins with congenital amegakaryotic thrombocytopenia, follow. Two additional studies, one a twin analysis of attractiveness to mosquitoes and the other a study of twins coping with crisis, are also described. Several articles and letters from the popular media, concerning less favored twins, paternity issues surrounding superfecundation, twins with late-onset Tay-Sachs disease, and triplets admitted to MIT are informative and insightful.

Section: Media Highlightsmentioning

confidence: 93%

Zygosity Diagnosis: When Physicians and DNA Disagree/Twin Research: Sex-Discordant Chimeric Twins; Unrelated Bone Marrow Transplantation in Infant Twins With Congenital Amegakaryotic Thrombocytopenia; Twin Study of Attractiveness to Mosquitoes; Twins Coping With Crisis/Media Highlights: The Less Favored Twin; Paternity Issues; Twins With Late-Onset Tay-Sachs Disease; Triplets at MIT

2015

“…There is some evidence that DZ twins are overrepresented among illegitimate births, and are linked to coital frequency. It has been suggested that these findings may reflect a tendency by some individuals to attract multiple sexual partners (Campbell, 2005;James, 1992).…”

Section: Heteropaternal Lemur Twinsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Rare Sides of Twin Research: Important to Remember/Twin Research Reviews: Representation of Self-Image; Twins With Kleine–Levin Syndrome; Heteropaternal Lemur Twins; Risk of Dental Caries/In the Media: High-Society Models; ‘Winkelevii’ Super Bowl Twins; Multiple Birth × Three; Twin Sister Surrogate; A Presidential Twin?

2019

This article explores some rare sides of twin research. The focus of this article is the sad plight of the Dionne quintuplets, born in Canada in 1934. However, several other studies belong in this category, such as Dr Josef Mengele’s horrifying twin research conducted at the Auschwitz concentration camp, Dr John Money’s misguided attempt to turn an accidentally castrated male twin into a female, Russian scientists’ cruel medical study of conjoined female twins and Dr Peter Neubauer’s secret project that tracked the development of separated twins. Reviews of current twin research span twins’ representation of self-image, twins with Kleine–Levin Syndrome, heteropaternal twinning in lemurs and factors affecting risk of dental caries. Media coverage includes a pair of high-society models, a book about the ‘Winkelevii’ twins, Super Bowl twin teammates, a family with three sets of fraternal twins, a twin sister surrogate and a near presidential twin.

“…A review of studies published in the 1990s revealed higher rates of HIV infection among twins than non-twins, and higher rates of HIV infection among DZ than MZ twin infants (see Segal, 2000). I suggested that the higher rate of affected DZ twins might be linked to an observed association between DZ twinning and increased frequency of sexual activity (Segal, 1992; also see James, 1992). Improved methods for managing multiple birth pregnancies and for treating HIV infection may have eliminated this association, but it would be worth exploring.…”

Section: Twin Pregnancy Risk Factorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identical Twin Parents; Research Reviews: Twin Pregnancy Risk Factors, a New Twin Type and a School Legislation Update; Twin Parents and Twin Researchers in the News

2007

Some legal and social complications that arise when identical twins have children are examined. The specific case presented concerns assignment of paternity. This section is followed by a review of recent studies of multiple birth pregnancy risk factors, namely mother to infant HIV transmission and congenital hypothyroidism. Honors given to recently recognized twin researchers are noted, as is the birth of twins to an older mother in the United States.