Pregnancy & Baby 

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Twins – one bigger than the other

I do understand your concerns and anxieties; you really do want everything to go satisfactorily, but have this worry at the back of your mind. One possibility is 'Twin Transfusion Syndrome', when blood passes disproportionately from one baby to the other through connecting blood vessels within their shared placenta. Your health advisors will have thoughts about this possible problem and will be more than vigilant in their investigation. Early diagnosis, thanks to the modern advances in ultrasound examinations, gives a much greater chance for early help and effective treatment.

It is very difficult to answer your worries with any degree of certainty - 5-15% of twins that have the combination of an amniotic sac each, but share a single placenta may be affected by Twin Transfusion Syndrome; and although they have a separate blood vessel supply from the placenta - there is some linking of their "separate" blood vessels. The most important thing within these 'possible' complications is to remember that you have two NORMAL babies, and the only affection is what is happening to the placenta. If there are indications from review examinations, then certain treatments are available, such as amniocentesis, drug therapies and, in certain areas, laser surgery to the involved blood vessels.

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