Disapearing twin

APBT mom, LPN, RN · Sep 8, 2007

I believe that a disappearing twin can't be identical at least I've never heard of one. It means that her body either absorbed the pregnancy or she spotted and had a miscarriage. The body usually does this when it knows that there is a problem with the fetus. Tell her not to worry it's not uncommon.

ICRN2008, BSN, RN · Sep 8, 2007

It might be helpful to refer her to a bereavement group for women who've suffered miscarriages.

I believe that the physician's comment that she shouldn't worry about it is insensitive, because it is obviously affecting her from what you've said.

CEG · Sep 8, 2007

Sounds like she needs a new doctor who isn't a jerk.

I was reading an article a while back tha theorized that disappearing twins are actually not as uncommon as we previously thought. The trend for more and more and earlier and earlier ultrasounds is making us more aware of something that happens commonly. I would think identical or not, this could happen with any twins who do not share a placenta, but that is just a guess.

Good luck to your sister with the rest of her pregnancy.

Diary/Dairy, RN · Sep 8, 2007

I saw a program on TLC I think, that was called "I am my own twin." It talked about people who actually had 2 separate and very different sets of DNA... seems that some people actually combine the twins into one person. I just wanted to put that out there.

Hope your sister is doing well otherwise! :icon_hug:

rnrae · Sep 8, 2007

it's called chimerism.

"in medicine, a person composed of two genetically distinct types of cells. human chimeras were first discovered with the advent of blood typing when it was found that some people had more than one blood type. most of them proved to be "blood chimeras" -- non-identical twins who shared a blood supply in the uterus. those who were not twins are thought to have blood cells from a twin that died early in gestation. twin embryos often share a blood supply in the placenta allowing blood stem cells to pass from one and settle in the bone marrow of the other".

Neveranurseagain, RN · Sep 8, 2007

Both my kids are by IVF so very early sonograms were done. With my son , I started out with twins but by at 8 weeks the heart beat had stopped on one of them. My body reabsorbed it. My doc said many pregnancies are twin but people don't know because early sono is not done. With my daughter, I had twins until 12 weeks, then one of the twins died. I realize I was still pregnant, and very happy to be but I felt a sense of loss. I tried to talk to a few friends about it but they looked at me like I was crazy because I was still pregnant. There was a miscairrage grief group, but being still pregnant, could not go. So I suffered in silence...occasionally I still look at my daughter and wonder what the other one would have looked like. So if a friend or patient has suffered the loss of a twin, acknowledge their loss. It is a real emotion, probably compounded by hormones and the fear of losing the other one.

So for those of you who wondered what happened to the other 12 week old twin, my body walled it off, but I felt like I was just about to go into labor during the whole pregnancy. I delivered in the hallway because she came so fast. A MD looked at the placenta and said -WHAT IS THAT? and it turned out to be the 2nd twin, mummified (for lack of a better word) and embedded into the placenta.

Faeriewand, ASN, RN · Sep 8, 2007

Awsmom what an interesting story. Thanks for sharing it :)

Elvish, BSN, DNP, RN, NP · Sep 8, 2007

I agree that the doc was a bit insensitive to her loss, if she indeed felt it -- which it sounds like she did.

My cousin started out as part of a twin pregnancy -- then one twin was lost and her mother's body reabsorbed it. My cousin was born healthy. My best wishes to your stepsis.

JadeNurse1980 · Sep 11, 2007

Thanks for your imput. I felt good to be able to tell her something. She is going to change her OB. She wants one that is younger and more caring. I directed her to a support group here in town and she was welcomed with open arms even though she is still pregnant with one baby. The leader of the group had a similar experience as my step sister.

Thanks,

Jade

crissrn27, RN · Sep 16, 2007

I had a disappearing twin with my last pregnancy at 7 weeks. I never spotted or anything, my body reabsorbed it. I tell my 3 y/o about her. We did feel the loss, and were scared to death that we would lose Julie, too (her heart rate was around 100 at that time, when it should have been around 170). She finally delivered health at 40 weeks, after a very trying pregnancy with placenta previa, bleeding, bed rest, etc. But we still say all the time, "wonder what her twin would have looked like", stuff like that. Your sis is probably feeling these things, too, and that doc sounds like a jerk!

Bree124, BSN, RN · Sep 17, 2007

It is called Vanishing Twin Syndrome (VTS) if you want to be able to read up on it. There is lots of information available about this, as it is very common. Doctors and researchers are now thinking that this occurs in up to 1/8 pregnancies, however it's difficult to know the frequency because not every patient has an early ultrsound and most do not experience any symptoms of losing a baby. In almost all cases, the mother's body reabsorbs the twin and the pregnancy continues as a healthy singleton.

It is not possible to know whether the twins were ID or fraternal. This happens with both types of twinning, and the only way to know or have a good idea would be if the twins were monochorionic (sharing a placenta). If they each had their own sac and placenta, they could have been either ID or fraternal.

I am a mother of fraternal twins, and I host a twin support board online. We unfortunately see many cases of VTS. Something very important for her to remember is that even though she is still pregnant with one baby, she DID lose another. It is perfectly normal and acceptable to grieve for the baby who died. It doesn't make the other twin less special or important, but it is important to acknowledge that her other baby was a BABY, that she loved him/her, and wanted him/her.

Also, I assume that the posters who talked about chimerism knew this, but it is very different from VTS, and quite unusual. There have been relatively few cases of chimerism.

I hope that helps! My condolences to her.