Diamniotic dichorial twins are not uncommon these days. Statistics show: most often, such a multiple pregnancy occurs in women aged 35 to 39 years. The reasons for this fertilization are considered hormonal disorders in the body, including hormonal stimulation in the treatment of female diseases. Such twins are born in 30% of cases of multiple pregnancies. If the incidence of twins is correlated with the number of singleton pregnancies, then for every 100 conventional births, there are 4-5 diamniotic dichorial twins.
What is diamniotic dichoric twins?
In medicine, four types of twins are distinguished, which arise only with two methods of conception:
- When at the same time or with an interval of up to a week two eggs are fertilized by two different sperm. Each baby is in a separate amniotic sac and has its own placenta. Such a pregnancy is called diamniotic dichoric twins. Children can have a different gender and a different appearance.
- When the egg is divided into two full parts after a certain period of time after fertilization. If the division occurred within 2-3 days, each fetus may have a separate amniotic sac and its own placenta. If the division occurred in a later period, both chorion and amnion will be common in babies. Only a chorion or only an amniotic sac can be common. Such a pregnancy is called monochorionic twins (diamniotic or monoamniotic). Children have the same set of chromosomes and the same appearance and gender.
Dichoric diamniotic twins by week
It is possible to determine the presence of twins by a hardware method only from the 5-6th week of pregnancy. A gynecologist can suspect the presence of two babies during examination only from the 9-10th week. Only at this time the uterus begins to grow more intensively and does not correspond in size to the term. Twin pregnancy is most often accompanied by early toxicosis. It proceeds much harder than with a singleton pregnancy, can return later. Such a pregnancy is more optimal for mothers and children than monochorial. Consider how diamniotic dichoric twins develop by weeks.
First trimester
- Weeks 1-4 do not differ from a singleton pregnancy, the only thing is that toxicosis can appear a week after fertilization.
- 5-8th week : the length of each baby is about 2 cm by the end of the 8th week. Taurus fully formed. Fingers appeared, but they still have membranes. The umbilical cord has formed, the placenta is still developing. Mom has toxicosis. This is the most dangerous period for a miscarriage.
- 9-12 weeks : time to do an ultrasound. The examination will confirm that the woman has diamniotic dichorial twins. In babies, teeth are laid, and genitals are formed by the end of the term. Kids are already 6 cm long and weighing 6-9 g. By the end of the 12th week, the probability of a miscarriage is reduced.
Second trimester
- 13-16 weeks : the pregnant woman’s stomach looks 2 weeks longer than in a singleton pregnancy, it is already clearly visible. Kids actively move, frown, suck their fingers, sleep a lot, wake up about once an hour.
- 17-20 weeks : babies push well with their legs and arms, they are about 25 cm tall and weigh 300 g each. The kids already have a fully functioning intestine, they independently write in the amniotic fluid, which is updated several times a day. Polyhydramnios may occur.
- Week 21-24 : lungs begin to mature. A pregnant woman may have a backache and swollen legs. Children weigh 600 grams each. During this period, an ultrasound scan is performed, sex can be determined, the presence or absence of congenital malformations can be diagnosed, dichoric diamniotic twins are clearly visible in the photo.
Third trimester
- 25-28 weeks : babies accumulate fat, the nervous system, vision and hearing, the vestibular apparatus are formed. In mom, the bottom of the uterus rises 30 cm from the pubis.
- 29-32 weeks : babies about 37 cm tall and weighing 1.3-1.6 kg. During this period, an ultrasound scan is performed, which allows you to determine the readiness of the children for birth, detect deviations in the chorion and omnion, predict and plan the course of labor.
- 33-36 weeks : babies weigh about 2 kg, their heart rate is about 120 beats per minute. The head of one child goes down, the second most often is in the pelvic presentation. By the 36th week, a woman can give birth at any time.
- 37-40 weeks : children are completely ready to be born, in height and weight they are behind their single-fertile peers. Most often, babies will appear on the 37-38th week. There is a high likelihood of a planned pregnancy before delivery. By this period, the weight of the mother increases by 15-17 kg.
Can a woman give birth to twins on her own?
If a woman has dichoric diamniotic twins, childbirth can occur both naturally and with the help of a planned cesarean section. It all depends on the course of pregnancy and related complications. If a pregnant woman has a severe form of late toxicosis, gestosis, severe varicose veins and other aggravating troubles, a caesarean section is highly likely. Caesarean is performed with transverse or pelvic presentation of both babies. The decision is made by doctors on the multiple results of ultrasound and monitoring the course of pregnancy. The optimal condition for natural childbirth is the head presentation of both children, the head presentation of one of them and the foot presentation of the second are also acceptable. In other cases, a high probability of cesarean.
Twins and Ultrasound
If dichoric diamniotic twins are suspected, an ultrasound photo confirms this fact only from a 5-6-week period. In the later stages (32-36 weeks), one child can be “lost” in hardware. This is because one baby with an ultrasound closes the second and the last becomes invisible to the device. Twin pregnancy requires more frequent ultrasound examinations due to the risk of developing pathologies and complications in babies. The examination allows you to establish:
- type of zygosity of twins;
- the vitality of the kids;
- future labor management tactics;
- severe pathologies of children or one of them;
- the presence of polyhydramnios or oligohydramnios in each of them;
- biometric parameters, degree of development, compliance with the gestational age;
- the freezing of one of the fruits at any time allows you to save the second child under favorable conditions, the probability of developing pathology and defects in a living baby is not more than 10%.
The dangers awaiting twins
Dichoric diamniotic twins develop more favorably than monozygous. This is due to the fact that babies have separate amniotic sacs and placenta, they do not depend on each other. Nevertheless, such babies are also in danger. One of them is the freezing of one of the fruits. You should not worry about this. If fading occurs in the second trimester and later, the dead fetus is mummified, which is not dangerous for a woman in labor and a second child. The second danger is the probability of the occurrence of polyhydramnios due to the fact that through the shunt between the placentas, one of the babies is released more blood, which is why the baby writes more often and polyhydramnios is gradually formed. In this regard, children can vary in weight. Starting from the 32nd week, babies begin to lag behind in height and weight. For children, this is not dangerous, this fact does not affect the mental and physical development. The lag is due to the fact that little space remains in the uterus. After birth, babies quickly catch up in weight and height of their peers.