Many couples planning on having a baby are completely happy with the idea of having a single birth. But, there’s many couples that would love to be able to have twins, if you’re one of those couples, then this may be good news.
Just making some changes in your diet may help increase your chances of having twins! A study has shown that women who consume dairy products are 5% more likely to give birth to twins than those who don’t.
The study was conducted by Gary Steinman, MD, PHD, a physician at the Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New York. The study published at Bio-Medicine.com included 3 categories of women, those who were vegans, vegetarians and those who consumed animal products.
His findings were that the women who consumed animal products on a regular basis, especially dairy products were 5 times more likely to have twins than women who abstained from eating any animal products.
The chances of you having twins can be attributed to the level of IGF found in your body. The higher your levels of IGF, then the more likely that your little bundle of joy will come in a pair! IGF increases ovulation and thus your chances of having twins are increased.
IGF or Insulin-like Growth Factor is a protein released from the liver. In response to growth hormones the animals liver releases IGF which is then transferred through the blood and into it’s milk.
Since 1975 the instances of twin births have steadily increased in the USA. One reason for the increase may be that lots of women are waiting until later in life to have babies. The chance increases when a woman reaches 30 and there is even a greater chance for a woman that’s over 35.
Another reason for the increasing number of twin births could be attributed to the introduction of growth hormone treatments given to cows. This practice was started in the 1990’s to improve the production rate of milk and promote larger cows for more meat.
Having twins doesn’t come without risks, twins are more likely to be premature and have congenital defects. So, if you live in a country that allows cattle to be given growth hormones, you may actually want to limit your intake of animal products prior to trying to conceive.
Of course, drinking more milk won’t insure your chances of having twins. Multiple births are also results of heredity, if there’s twins in your family tree then your chances are automatically increased.
Women getting pregnant while on birth control pills are also more likely to produce twins. The increase of hormones from birth control pills seems to raise the possibility of more than one egg being released during ovulation.
Fertility treatments and ethnicity also play important roles in multiple births. Women of African descent have higher levels of IGF and more instances of twin births, while women of Asian or Hispanic decent have lower levels of IGF and are less likely to have twins.
A previous study Dr. Steinman had conducted showed that if a woman becomes pregnant while breastfeeding, then it’s 9 times more likely that she’ll give birth to twins.
No matter what you’re hoping for, a healthy diet and visiting a gynecologist early in pregnancy can give your baby a better chance for a healthier beginning. They’re both very important factors in your health and your baby’s health.
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