Your aunt was a twin and so was your dad’s cousin — could this mean two buns in the oven are also possible for you? There are several reasons why you might be prone to multiples, depending on your family history, age, and past pregnancies.
Multiple births have definitely multiplied in the past two generations. The number of twin births jumped about 76% from 1986 to 2009, and currently there are about 32 twins born per every 1,000 births.[1]
With these incredible stats in mind, it’s not such a stretch to wonder if you might conceive more babies than you bargained for. Here are the overall odds of having twins, along with factors that could increase your chances.
What are the chances of having twins?
Just over 3% of babies in the United States are now born in sets of two, three or more, with the majority — about 97% — of these multiple births being twins. So your chance of having twins is about 3 in 100.[2]
Whether you’ve got one, two, or more babies on board, head to the What to Expect app for week-by-week updates, expert advice, and support from other moms of multiples.
What increases your chances of having twins?
A number of factors are at play when it comes to your chances of having twins, specifically fraternal twins. (Identical twins are rare and occur at random, so they're even more of an exciting surprise!)
Your chances of seeing double (or more) go up if:
You have twins in your family
Heredity doubles your chances of conceiving twins — but only on the mom's side. Even if the father's family tree is loaded with dynamic duos, that won't increase your own odds of conceiving twins.
You've had twins before
Lightning can and does strike twice! If you've already given birth to a set of twins, look out — you're significantly more likely to do so again.
You're 35 or older
As you age, your chance of conceiving twins increases. Researchers have found that women over 35 produce more follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) than younger women, which may cause more than one egg to drop at ovulation.
You've been pregnant before
With each pregnancy, the odds that you'll have twins go up a little, likely because with each pregnancy you’re a little bit older (which in itself ups the chances of having twins).
You're undergoing (or underwent) fertility treatments
Although fertility treatments don’t come with as high a multiples rate as they used to, having any kind of assisted reproduction (especially the kind that stimulates ovulation) ups the chances of a multiple pregnancy.
Your BMI before pregnancy was a certain range
Women with pre-pregnancy BMIs higher than 30 are significantly more likely to have fraternal twins than women with lower BMIs.
You're Black or white
Black and white women have a higher chance of having twins than Asian and Hispanic women. And if you're Black, you're slightly more likely to have twins than if you're white.
Are my chances of having twins higher if I have multiple factors that up my odds?
It's true! If you can check more than one of the above boxes, your chances of twins increase even more, ever so slightly.
Yes 
No 
