# Identical twins + Identical twins = ? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 24, 2003, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identical-twins-identical-twins/157173 "2003-02-24T16:06:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jamie1985](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ccd318/32.png) [@jamie1985](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jamie1985)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identical-twins-identical-twins/157173/1 "2003-02-24T16:06:05Z")
Quick question thats bugging me while i’m bored at work, If two male identical twins reproduced with two female identical twince [separately of course] would their chrildren be amazingly alike? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![jamie1985](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ccd318/32.png) [@jamie1985](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jamie1985)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identical-twins-identical-twins/157173/2 "2003-02-24T16:07:41Z")
damn no ‘edit feature’ and i’ve re-drafted the English spelling of twince to twince. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identical-twins-identical-twins/157173/3 "2003-02-24T16:08:15Z")
No more so than other siblings. They would, however, be more likely to have twins themselves than typical couples. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identical-twins-identical-twins/157173/4 "2003-02-24T16:09:12Z")
No, probably not but the children would be brother and sister genetically. ---
**Author:** ![jamie1985](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ccd318/32.png) [@jamie1985](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jamie1985)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identical-twins-identical-twins/157173/5 "2003-02-24T16:09:15Z")
OMG, i’m on damn drugs!!! TWINS!!! ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identical-twins-identical-twins/157173/6 "2003-02-24T16:10:02Z")
Oh, and welcome to the SDMB, **jamie1985**. Enjoy your stay here. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![sugaree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@sugaree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sugaree)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identical-twins-identical-twins/157173/7 "2003-02-24T16:15:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Q.E.D. \* > \*\*No more so than other siblings. They would, however, be more likely to have twins themselves than typical couples. \*\* I thought that fraternal twins were genetic, but identical twins were just an egg that happened to split. ---
**Author:** ![jamie1985](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ccd318/32.png) [@jamie1985](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jamie1985)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identical-twins-identical-twins/157173/8 "2003-02-24T16:16:29Z")
Thanks Q.E.D 🙂 And BTW in my 3 weeks as a lurker i’ve decided to believe Zotti = Cecil ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identical-twins-identical-twins/157173/9 "2003-02-24T16:20:49Z")
Get your stinkin drugs off me you damn dirty twins!!! Every sperm is different (and sacred). Every egg is too. There are literally hundreds of millions of different combinations that can be had every single time you have sex with someone. So, as Shagnasty said, they would be brother and sister genetically. The odds of producing the exact same child in both sets of twins would be so fantastically remote it would practically be zero. ---
**Author:** ![sugaree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@sugaree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sugaree)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identical-twins-identical-twins/157173/10 "2003-02-24T16:21:38Z")
:eek: ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identical-twins-identical-twins/157173/11 "2003-02-24T16:22:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by sugaree \* > \*\*I thought that fraternal twins were genetic, but identical twins were just an egg that happened to split. \*\* They are. The OP is asking about the **offspring** of two couples of identical twins. ---
**Author:** ![sugaree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@sugaree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sugaree)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identical-twins-identical-twins/157173/12 "2003-02-24T16:28:55Z")
The :eek: was not at Ender’s stats, but was meant to convey my shock and horror at hearing the sacred name of Cecil associated with that of Zotti. ::reels away, fanning herself::: QED, my question is do identical twins run in families? I thought that the condition was not genetic. If that’s true, why would identical twins have a higher chance of having twins? ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identical-twins-identical-twins/157173/13 "2003-02-24T16:31:40Z")
Identical twins run in families because the “weakness” that causes the egg to split after dividing is genetic. Sometimes it’s just happenstance, though. Similarly, the production of multiple ova can be genetic, drug-induced, or just happenstance. ---
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identical-twins-identical-twins/157173/14 "2003-02-24T16:32:38Z")
> [@](#): > > ## quote: > > ## Originally posted by sugaree I thought that fraternal twins were genetic, but identical twins were just an egg that happened to split. > > They are. The OP is asking about the offspring of two couples of identical twins. I assume sugaree is questioning: “They would, however, be more likely to have twins themselves than typical couples.” So the question is do identical twins (the result of a zygote that split completely) have a greater tendency to produce identical twins than the non-twinned populace (i.e., do their zygotes have a greater tendency to split)? Or is it people who are fraternal twins (the result of two completely different eggs being fertilized by two different sperm) that have a greater propensity to have twins? Or is it all just a bunch of hooey that twins are more likely to give birth to twins? (Or is it just female twins … since it’s their splitting eggs and double-shooting ovaries at work…?) ---
**Author:** ![sugaree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@sugaree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sugaree)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identical-twins-identical-twins/157173/15 "2003-02-24T16:37:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Nametag \* > \*\*Identical twins run in families because the “weakness” that causes the egg to split after dividing is genetic. Sometimes it’s just happenstance, though. Similarly, the production of multiple ova can be genetic, drug-induced, or just happenstance. \*\* Oh. In that case, identical twins would be more likely to concieve other identical twins, and wouldn’t be at greater odds to concieve fraternal twins unless that also ran in the family? ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identical-twins-identical-twins/157173/16 "2003-02-24T16:53:26Z")
Here is a site that shows [Twin basics.](http://mypage.direct.ca/c/csamson/multiples/twinbasics2.html) > [@](#): > > If You Are A Twin (Or Have Twins In Your Family): > > If you are a fraternal twin, you have a 1 in 17 chance of having twins. If you are identical, it doesn’t affect your chances, and they remain from 1 in anywhere from 38 - 90, depending on if fertility drugs are used or not. If your mother is a fraternal twin, you may have a higher than average chance of twins. If you father is a twin, it doesn’t affect your chances, as fraternal twinning is apparently carried down the maternal line. If your husband is a twin or has twins in his family, it doesn’t affect your chances of having twins. > > If you have a parent that is an identical twin, your chances of having twins yourself are the same as anyone else. ---
**Author:** ![Meatros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Meatros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meatros)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identical-twins-identical-twins/157173/17 "2003-02-24T17:03:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Nametag \* > \*\*Identical twins run in families because the “weakness” that causes the egg to split after dividing is genetic. \*\* Really? I didn’t know that identical twins run in families. I’m an identical twin and I can’t think of anyone else in my family having a twin (then again I don’t know _all_ of my extended family). ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identical-twins-identical-twins/157173/18 "2003-02-24T17:14:42Z")
Re: genetic dependence of identical twins. Does anyone know if it matters whether the twin is on the mother’s or father’s side? Since the mother contributes more than just chromosomes (the mtDNA and the cytoplams and the rest of the egg cell), I’m wondering if that has any effect. ---
**Author:** ![jct103](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/57b2e6/32.png) [@jct103](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jct103)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identical-twins-identical-twins/157173/19 "2003-02-24T17:21:12Z")
🆒 I can see why you’re asking this question - at the moment the egg splits identical twins have exactly the same genetic makeup, after which the environment influences and small changes occur. It seems that what you are getting at is that the the two couples having one child each is the same as one couple having two children. However. I have 3 siblings and we don’t look alike at all!! ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identical-twins-identical-twins/157173/20 "2003-02-24T17:24:56Z")
I am the mother of fraternal twins. My daughter’s chances of having twins is greater than the general population. My son’s chances of having twins is the same as the general population. My chances of having twins (before I gave birth to twins) was the same as the general population-- I say this because I am both black and Hispanic, blacks have a higher incident of twinning while Hispanics have a lower incident of twinning. So it’s was a wash. Once I gave birth to those little buggers, my chances of having more twins jumped. If my kids had been identical, then all of the above goes out of the window. It’s a crap-shoot and everybody’s got the same chance. Egg weakness is a new one on me. Although it is plausible, the numbers indicate that identical twinning is random. Sooooo. The identical twins chances of having identical twins is the same as anybody else’s chance of having identical twins. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identical-twins-identical-twins/157173.md?page=2)