7 signs you’re pregnant with twins

I'm currently pregnant with my third and when I found out, I was PANICKED that I was pregnant with twins! Partly because I found out about 7 signs that increase your odds of having twins and I basically had all of them. And, partly because not only do twins run in my family, but my second was actually a twin and at the 6 week ultrasound we found out there was Esme and an empty (unviable) sack.

I've been saying I want to have 3-4 kids so when I thought I was having twins this time, I thought the decision was being made for me. Turns out, this pregnancy is a singleton, but it also makes me nervous to potentially try for 4. Seth (my husband) is a hard no on 4 and I might be too for so many reasons.

Twin moms – you're amazing! For anyone that's pregnant with twins and panicking (like I was when I thought I was having twins), if there's one thing I've learned in motherhood, it's that you figure it out. You think if X happened, it'd be too much. And then X happens and you adapt and figure it out and it's all okay.

Alright, let's get into the 7 signs that increase the likelihood of having twins…

1. Fraternal twins in family

Like I said, twins run in my family. Both identical and fraternal so that was my first indicator. Particularly having fraternal twins in your family increases your odds of having them.

2. Pregnant with twins before

Yep, that's right! If you've already been pregnant with twins, the likelihood that it happens again increases.

Again, I had been so I was further convinced I was pregnant with twins.

But woof, multiple sets of twins?!? Talk about SUPER MOM!!!

3. Subsequent pregnancies

So apparently you're more likely to have multiple babies in “subsequent” pregnancies meaning your second, third, fourth, etc. pregnancy is more likely to be twins than your first.

I had a miscarriage at week 13, a pregnancy that resulted in miscarriage at week 6, then my first daughter, and then a pregnancy where they told me I was pregnant with twins but one was viable and one was not. So, technically with this third baby, I'm on my fifth pregnancy and my fourth pregnancy was already twins.

4. Breastfeeding

Apparently if you're breastfeeding, you're 9x more likely to get pregnant with twins.

I was breastfeeding when I got pregnant this time. I had night weaned and gotten my period back, but was still breastfeeding Esme during the day.

5. Late ovulation

For a 28 day cycle, ovulation typically occurs around day 14. Getting pregnant during a late ovulation can be another indicator.

Of course, I had a late ovulation. When I got pregnant with twins the first time, I ovulated on day 30 of my cycle. With this pregnancy, I ovulated on day 26 and I was like yeppp it's going to happen.

6. Over 30

Being over the age of 30 raises the odds too.

I'm over 30…another check.

7. Tall or high BMI

Being on the taller side or having a higher BMI can both influence whether or not you have multiples.

I'm not an expert by any means, I found these signs out through Google and my own research (which also included some online quizzes of whether I was pregnant with twins or not). So, take this all with a grain of salt. But, body composition and height were factors listed and the topic of some of the questions on those quizzes.

Bonus sign: early pregnancy test

Getting a positive pregnancy test early along is the last indicator on my list.

This one is a little controversial. Some sources say that when you're having multiples, your hormone levels increase more and earlier, so you can get a positive test earlier than you sometimes can when you're just having one. Other sources say your hormone levels are about the same at the beginning of the pregnancy and then as it progresses, it goes higher for moms pregnant with multiples.

So, this one seems a little wishy-washy (as if the other 7 aren't a little wishy-washy).

Get an early ultrasound

Obviously, there's no way to know for sure until you get an ultrasound. If you think you might be pregnant with twins, or you have a lot of these indicators, I highly recommend getting the early ultrasound. Then you'll know for sure. For 2 or 3 weeks, until I had the early ultrasound at week 6, I was very anxious about whether I was pregnant with one or two. Getting an answer was such a relief. So, try to get in early if you can.

If you are pregnant with twins or a mom of twins, I want to know your experience and if you had some or all of these signs!