Identical Twins |
Fraternal Twins |
Fraternal Twins |
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 | The birth rate of multiples continues to increase each year. Some of the contributing factors include:
- Increased use of fertility treatments
- Advanced maternal age
- Improved prenatal and neonatal care
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| Births resulting in supertwins (triplets, etc.) have increased at a faster rate than those involving twins. |
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| Identical multiples are genetically the same, the result of the splitting of one fertilized ovum. They often have similar abilities and interests. However, even though identicals share the same genes, they have their own unique personalities.
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| Fraternal multiples (male/female and same sex) are derived from the fertilization of two separate ova by two separate spermatozoa. They are like siblings, but are born at the same time. They are more likely than identicals to have dissimilar abilities and interests.
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| Both types of multiples have a unique relationship with each other. This may be due to: sharing the same womb; having the same parents; experiencing a similar social environment and; in the case of identicals, sharing the same genes.
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