# Twins Skip a Generation: Truth or UL?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twins-skip-a-generation-truth-or-ul/577689>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 8, 2011, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twins-skip-a-generation-truth-or-ul/577689 "2011-04-08T17:31:07Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\
**Post date:** [April 12, 2011, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twins-skip-a-generation-truth-or-ul/577689/21 "2011-04-12T02:21:49Z")

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WAG: Could twins _appear_ to skip a generation simply because most people have more grandchildren than children, and thus there are more chances to conceive twins two generations down the road?

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**Author:** ![rhubarbarin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eb9ed0/32.png) [@rhubarbarin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhubarbarin)\
**Post date:** [April 12, 2011, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twins-skip-a-generation-truth-or-ul/577689/22 "2011-04-12T02:28:37Z")

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What they said.

Every ovulation, several egg cells ‘ripen’ in follicles of the ovary. Usually, the first one to reach maturity is released; the others self-destruct after receiving hormonal cues. Some women just have two or more eggs reach maturity close enough to the same time that they are released within 24 hours of each other.

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