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What does mirror image twins mean?
‘Mirror image’ is a type of identical twinning. It can happen in any type of identical twins. When the split occurs late – more than a week after conception – the twins can develop reverse asymmetric features. This term is not really a type of twin, just a way to describe their physical features.
How can you tell twins from mirror image?
There is no specific test used to diagnose mirror twins. A DNA test can confirm whether twins are identical, but there are no markers related to mirror twins. Rather, the condition is self-identified. When twins have opposite features from their sibling, they may refer to themselves as mirror twins.
What percentage of twins are mirror image?
25 percent
Mirror-image twins is an unofficial phenomenon that occurs among identical twins almost 25 percent of the time, according to Dr. Nancy Segal, a psychologist and director of the Twin Studies Center at California State University, Fullerton.
Do mirror twins have organs on opposite sides?
In some extreme cases (which are exceptionally rare), mirror twins display situs inversus. In this condition, the internal organs (such as the heart, liver, lungs, or stomach) are situated on the opposite side of the normal anatomical position.
What is the difference between identical twins and mirror image twins?
Mirror twins or mirror identical twins are twins whose features appear asymmetrically or on the opposite sides. Identical twins have the same sex and share the same blood type. Mirror twins have identical but asymmetric physical features. For example, one twin could be left-handed, and the other could be right-handed.
Can mirror twins be different genders?
Because identical twins share all of their genes, they can’t be of opposite sexes like fraternal twins can. To analyze the fetuses’ genes, the doctors took samples of the amniotic fluid that surrounded each twin. (The twins were in separate amniotic sacs in the womb.)
How common are twins naturally?
It’s estimated that 1 in 250 pregnancies results in twins naturally, and there are two ways to conceive them.