Twins have to share food in the womb or not?

Knowing that you are going to have twins is certainly a very exciting and exciting thing. Maybe, when you found out, you already imagined the twins would be wearing the same clothes, the same shoes, and whatever was going to be shared. So, are you not curious about how your twins grow and develop in the womb? Do they share their food too? Are they connected to the same placenta or not? Check out the answer here.

Do twins share food in the womb?

When a woman is pregnant, many body changes occur. These changes have even occurred shortly after conception has occurred. At that time, your body has started to form a special organ that will be used as a place to live for the fetus. This organ is the placenta or what is often called the placenta. At that time, usually the embryo (future fetus) is divided into two parts, one will develop into a fetus and the other is prepared as a layer of the placenta.

Yes, in the placenta everything is available to support the development and growth of the uterus. From here, the umbilical cord, which provides food and oxygen, is connected to the fetus. In addition, the placenta consists of the amniotic sac and amniotic fluid which maintains and assists the growth of the fetus.

Every fetus in a normal, healthy pregnancy will have this "device" in the mother's womb. So, if the fetus is twins, will they share the placenta? Actually, there are several possibilities that can occur when you are carrying more than one fetus, namely:

1. The fetus has separate placenta and amniotic sac

Like a single fetus living in the mother's womb, a fetus that is only fratenal (not identical) twins will each have their own placenta and amniotic sac. This will allow food and oxygen to flow to the amniotic sac and umbilical cord differently.

source: raisingchildren.net.au

Non-identical twins experience this more often because they come from different eggs and sperm, so that when each one will experience the same development and growth, like a single fetus, but this time more than one.

While identical twins can still experience this. Usually the process of body division that occurs in identical twins with different placentas is quite good.

2. One placenta with a different amniotic sac

There are also twins who have the same placenta but different amniotic sacs. So, twins still do not "swim" in the same sac and fluids. This condition occurs in babies who are identical twins, because identical twins come from one egg and sperm which then multiply. So, in its development, the placental tissue that is formed comes from the same cell tissue.

source: Raisingchildren.net.au

3. One same placenta and amniotic sac

When this happens, the twins will share everything together. Yes, twins born from the womb with the same placenta and amniotic sac must share food and oxygen together. This condition also occurs in identical twins.

Because they are in the same bag, sometimes the distribution of food is not fair. Some babies get more food than other twins. Of course this can cause various bad effects for the fetus.