Twins Having Different Fathers

Do you know that twins can have different fathers? Well, yes it is possible. I didn’t know about this until today.

While I was watching the new ABS-CBN teleserye, Prinsesa ng Banyera, it occurred to me that the twins involved in the story don’t really look alike. I know that there are identical twins which look ,if not exactly, almost alike while fraternal twins are no more alike than any brother or sister. Thus, I could classify the twins in the teleserye as fraternal twins. One crazy thought came to my mind whether it is possible to have twins with different fathers.

I searched for it on the Internet and I found the answer to my question.

According to the DNA Diagnostics Center (DDC), a leading testing company in the United States, there are rare cases of twins with different fathers which are more frequently revealed by DNA paternity testing. This happens when a woman ovulates and releases two eggs and these eggs are exposed to sperms from two men. It is possible for her to have fraternal twins or even triplets with different fathers when she releases three eggs during her ovulation period. This is called heteropaternal superfecundation.

During ovulation, the egg becomes conceivable within 12-48 hours before it dies while the sperm cells can stay alive from 4-5 days. Thus, a woman remains fertile within 5-7 days.

So, if you’re the father of fraternal twins, would you think again and ask if these twins are really yours, with the possibility of fraternal twins having different fathers?

(Image taken from members.aol.com/lupinaccim/)