Some may not see the value in knowing the difference between identical and fraternal twins, but to the parents of twins, it can matter a great deal. It’s a part of their children’s identity.
Unfortunately, according to a new study, a fair number of parents were misinformed due to a common misconception that twins who gestate in separate placentas are fraternal. Actually, 25-30 percent of identical twins have separate placentas and amniotic sacs.
A 2004 survey among members of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists found that 81 percent of doctors were under this misconception. This new study, published in the journal BJOG this past February, showed 14.7 percent of the 1,302 parents of same-sex twins were misinformed that their twins were either identical or fraternal.
The type of twins was confirmed through DNA testing, which may be a lesson learned for the future. With the availability, accuracy, and simplicity of DNA testing, the “rule of thumb” no longer need apply.
“I think there are a lot of parents who just want to know. A lot of parents finding out later on felt they just didn’t know their own children.” -Abi Fisher,an author of the study
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