 |
|
 |
|
|
|
Vanishing Twin Syndrome
Reader's Questions and Answers: |
|
NOTE: Answers provided are of a general nature only and in no way reflect any medical opinion, diagnosis or reflect your personal situation. If you are in any doubt regarding your child's medical condition, please consult your physician, peaditrician or healthcare specialist immediately.
Feedback:
We just found out that we experienced vanishing twin syndrome. At 6 weeks I had an ultra sound due to cramping and spotting. We were concerned because of a previous miscarrige. I am now 16 weeks and last night was the ultra sound confirming the vanishing twin. I cannot believe how devastating this is. My emotions are all over the board and I'm trying to rationalize that the other baby will be much stronger and healthier. Your article helped as I was skeptical to read about this syndrome, [and] your non-medical jargon was really a comfort. Thank you.
From Lynda:
I am so sorry to hear of your loss. VT is hard to find compassion for as the loss occurs so early and there is often a surviving baby so it doesn't always register with others as to the degree of loss. You were promised two and the promise was broken! That is extremely painful. I am glad you found the article helpful and the non-medical jargon was done on purpose as so often what with shock and disbelief, and in such a emotional state it can be difficult to understand medical explanations for what has occurred.
Please be gentle with yourselves. It is OK to grieve for your loss isn't fair and completely normal that your emotions will be all over the board.
Feedback:
I lost one of my twins at 15 weeks. I am told it will be reabsorbed. How long before I will be safe with the remaining healthy baby, i.e. am I likely to lose it as well? I am very scared and worried thanks Pauline, U.K.
From Lynda:
Hi, I am so sorry to hear of your loss. I need to let you know that I am not a medical person, nor do I have personal knowledge of your medical situation. I can comment generally. The VT article is the most popular on my Site. It has long been suspected that more of us began life as at least twins than was previously thought, but unless detailed records are kept, there is no way to prove that is true. VT does not usually affect the surviving baby(ies) unless that one too is unhealthy. Reabsorption would be a personal thing and each woman would be different. Time of loss would be another factor, i.e. 6 weeks gestation would be more quickly reabsorbed than 12 weeks and so on. There is no reason at all why your remaining baby shouldn't continue to grow through a healthy pregnancy and birth. Regular doctor visits and monitoring will confirm that for you. If you are in doubt, ASK each visit how things are going just to ease your mind.
Very best wishes.
Feedback:
Is there any common factor that is associated with vanishing twin?
From Lynda:
Thanks for your question. It is difficult to say because the loss occurs so early in the pregnancy, i.e. before 12 weeks. At birth, many months later, there is very little to assess or examine due to reabsorption by the mother's body. It is felt that a cause may be that the embryo failed to properly adhere to the uterine wall and was therefore unable to get the nourishment it needed to grow and develop.
Feedback:
I went to the emergency room at 8 weeks pregnant with bleeding but no accompanying cramps. When they did the ultrasound there were two sacs, one with a lively little baby and one with a clump of tissue in it. At the time I was confused, not knowing whether to be sad that one was lost or happy that one was okay. A couple of days later, I felt a warm gush of fluid, which I can only assume was amniotic fluid. When I went to my OB for an ultrasound the day after the fluid, there was no trace of any sac or twin, only subchorionic bleeding. I am now 8 months pregnant with a healthy little guy and my Drs. still do not recognize my lost baby, despite the fact that I've even shown them the films from the hospital where you can clearly see two sacs and both babies. It is so frustrating to me, because as I near the due date I grieve more and more for the one that won't be born and my Drs. act like it never existed. How do I make them understand that I know it existed and just because they never saw it themselves, I want them to acknowledge it. Is it possible they would find any remnants of it during delivery, so we would have some closure? That is, assuming they ever recognize it in the first place.
From Lynda:
Hi, I am so sorry to hear of your loss and your pain, especially as the time draws near to birth when there should have been two. I also feel very badly that the professionals looking after you aren't tuned into the fact that you have, indeed, lost a treasured baby. I'm not sure that they will ever 'come around' as you wish if you have showed them the pictures and still there is no recognition. It boggles my mind how caring individuals treat only the body and not the soul or spirit. We are a package, not components of a package.
If you think it might help, print the article from my Site and take it to your Doctor. If you can educate him/her so that no one else has to suffer through being ignored, then you have honoured your baby's memory. You could speak or write about your experience, whenever you can if that worked for you. Teaching others is very healing and helpful.
At the end of this month, there is a Perinatal Bereavement Conference in Las Vegas at which I will be a co-presenter. We are mainly speaking to professionals and Vanishing Twin is on my list to talk about and promote caring from those who tend us in our hour of need. I remain.....so shocked that they won't, don't or can't listen to you and hear your pain. I could certainly read it between the lines of your note!
If you want to write to me again, please do so, at any time. I care and I am so sorry that you are experiencing such distress at a time when it is just not necessary. We are talking about basic human compassion. I encourage you and your partner to take the steps necessary that you both need to heal and come to terms with your loss seeing as it isn't happening otherwise. Make a Memory Box of ultrasounds, your thoughts, a diary, send him/her a card or letter from his parents. Add a copy of this e-mail so that s/he will know how much you love him/her. You can also name him/her with a generic name such as Skye, Lindsay, Taylor, Corey, Sam or anything else that suits your fancy. This is your time and take what you need to acknowledge your baby. Your baby doesn't need to be negated because s/he died. I enclose peace, comfort and hugs.
Feedback:
I am 7 weeks pregnant. At first it was twins. Now after my sono [ultrasound] I was told that one died. Will the other one live?
From Lynda:
Hello, I am not a fan of early ultrasounds due to the fact that by 12 weeks, everything can dramatically change, as you have experienced. I am so sorry to hear of your circumstances. An early loss such as yours usually does not affect the surviving baby. Your pregnancy should continue through with a healthy delivery, with all things being equal. Your doctor will monitor you carefully due to this loss, but your surviving baby should be just fine.
All the very best.
Feedback:
My friend is 32 weeks pregnant and her belly is huge! The doctor told her at her first appointment at about 10 weeks she had been pregnant with twins and lost one. Is it possible she could still be pregnant with twins and one is hiding? She also started having contractions last night and went to the hospital and after six hours her contractions stopped, and I know women pregnant with twins usually go into labor sooner.
From Lynda:
Hi, you are obviously a very caring friend to be searching for information for your friend. I am unable to comment personally because I don't know your friend's situation nor am I a medical person. I do know that women can have very large babies - I was talking to one today and her first child was over 10lbs. Your friend could be having a very large baby. So much could also depend on her general health both before she got pregnant and during her pregnancy, nutrition during her pregnancy, regular medical check-ups, those types of things.
With the quality of ultrasound equipment they have today, it would be unusual for a baby to remain 'hidden' for so long but Mother Nature has a way of keeping us on our toes. You will need to wait until she gives birth for the right answer.
All the best.
Feedback:
I disagree with what you said to that mother and daughter [see question below - ed] who were trying to find out info on VTS and if she had a twin.
From Lynda:
I was asked an opinion and I gave it. You're allowed to disagree.
Feedback:
My daughter and I think she may be the surviving twin of a vanished twin in utero. What are the psychological and spiritual ramifications of this loss? Can you direct us to books, articles or other sources of info on this area? Many thanks.
From Lynda:
Hi, thank you for your question. I don't think you are going to like my response but why would you bother focusing on something that can never be proven? It can only "bug" you for the rest of your lives. Is that a good idea? Why not concentrate on what you are now, what you have and how you can make a difference? Everything else is just a guess and not a reliable one at that.
All the best.
Submitted by:
Anonymous
Feedback:
What is the metaphysical explanation for vanishing twins? How is the soul effected?
From Lynda:
Hi, thanks for your question. I think VT happens for natural reasons, i.e. for some unknown reason, one or more embryos does not properly attach itself to the uterine wall and is thereby unable to obtain the proper amount of maternal nutrition it needs to grow and develop.
Some individuals "swear" that they began life as at least twins. There is no way of verifying this unless possibly tests were conducted at birth, or an early ultrasound revealed at least two. There is no way to assess whether or not the soul is affected. Check back to my Site for Q & A for VT I've been asked. My Web Designer or is posting some of the replies. They were quite interesting.
All the best.
Submitted by:
Anonymous
Feedback:
Will the weaker fetus always dissolve naturally? I have one strong heartbeat and one weak one at 8 weeks pregnant.
From Lynda:
Hi - I have all my fingers and toes crossed for you and your babies. While you still have a long way to go in your pregnancy, miracles can happen and who knows, this may still work out. I am always optimistic.
If a weaker twin does die in utero and depending upon how long later the other twin is born, there could be no indication of a twin pregnancy remaining, or an area of the placenta that is "thicker" (for want of a better word) which could give an indication of the lost fetus or if the fetus dies very late in the pregnancy, one could deliver a stillborn baby. Continuing, regular physician check-ups and open communication will keep you informed as to your particular status and situation.
I enclose the very best of wishes to all of you.
Submitted by:
Linda
Feedback:
Is it possible to miss a twin pregnancy in the first trimester (6-7weeks)? My daughter had a trans vaginal and abdominal ultra sound but was told that the pregnancy was not progressing. She started spotting, then heavier bleeding after the second tvu. Her hcg levels still remain high. I am wondering if she may have been pregnant with twins and has now lost the one. thank you.
From Lynda:
Hi Linda, I am not 100% sure what your question is - do you mean can you miscarry one or both babies in the first trimester or do you mean was the ultrasound wrong and the technician missed identifying a twin pregnancy?
My feeling is that sometimes Mother Nature has a way of protecting our unborn child(ren) and ourselves, by not letting an unhealthy pregnancy continue. We then miscarry that particular pregnancy. Most women have a miscarriage at some point in their lives and some don't realize they were even pregnant, as they may be several days or even a couple of weeks late and then have heavy bleeding and perhaps some clots. Each pregnancy is different, even for the same woman.
In most cases, I think answers are good and even helpful. I also think that answers can be a burden. Looking at your daughter's elevated hcg levels and knowing what happened (if science could tell you - I am not a medical person, so I don't know) in this very early pregnancy may be a painful burden for the rest of her life. The truth is probably mostly speculation and as long as she is healthy and, as she conceived once and will no doubt have no trouble conceiving again, maybe that's a better focus.
If you still needed to know the answer or answers, detailed follow up with her physician may provide those answers.
All the best.
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
