Summary: Australian researchers have made the significant discovery that loss of a twin during very early pregnancy explains the increased risk of birth defects seen in multiple pregnancies after infertility treatment.

After the developing twin disappears, its fetal tissue is absorbed by the surviving baby and its mother. A vanishing twin can cause feelings of confusion, anxiety, and grief for people who have been told they’re carrying multiple pregnancies.

The vanishing twin is absorbed by the remaining twin, the placenta, or the mother’s body. It can also be compressed by the healthy twin. Vanishing twins are known as twin embolization syndrome or vanishing twin syndrome. They can be identical or fraternal.

Vanishing twin syndrome symptoms

• Mild cramping.
• Vaginal bleeding.
• Pelvic pain.
• Decreasing hormone levels (hCG, as detected by blood tests)

Vanishing Twin Syndrome Symptoms In some cases, the loss of the twin may be accompanied by miscarriage symptoms, such as vaginal bleeding. If hCG levels are being measured, they may show a slower rise than would be expected in a normally developing twin pregnancy.

Most twins grow up together but begin to live apart as they attend college, marry, raise families and pursue careers. The decision to live apart is based on many factors, including but not limited to, the educational and occupational interests and opportunities of twins and/or their partners.

Researchers found the bond between twins is quite unique. While twins had the same death rate as other people, they were significantly less likely to commit suicide than the general population. Researchers discovered that identical and fraternal twins offered the same protection, as did male and female twins.

After birth, fathers of twins in both groups showed more depression, anxiety, social dysfunction and sleeping problems than did fathers of singletons.

Submissiveness in the psychological domain seemed to be associated with increased depressiveness, nervous complaints and psychosomatic symptoms in males of male-female twin pairs. Verbally submissive males in same-sex twin pairs had more depression and psychosomatic symptoms.

Identical twins develop from one fertilized egg, and so start out with the same genetic information from each parent. But only 48 percent of identical twins in the case of schizophrenia, and 60 percent in the case of autism, share the diagnosis.

The Journal of Psychiatric Practice has published new research on mental health in parents of multiples (twins, triplets, etc.). Parents of multiples reported higher rates of depression and anxiety than other parents.

Previous studies show that schizophrenia affects both members of identical twins in 41% to 61% of cases, but only 0 to 28% in non-identical twins. A previous pooling of twin studies has suggested that the “heritability” of schizophrenia is 81%.

You’re more likely to get schizophrenia if someone in your family has it. If it’s a parent, brother, or sister, your chances go up by 10%. If both your parents have it, you have a 40% chance of getting it.

In the largest study of twins in schizophrenia research to date, researchers have estimated that as much as 79% of schizophrenia risk may be explained by genetic factors. The estimate indicates that genetics have a substantial influence on risk for the disorder.