Forum Friday: Mirror-Image Twins
Friday February 20, 2009
Amanda writes: "Anyone have twins with mirror image twinning? How common is it? What characteristics were mirrored in your twins? We're noticing it some with the boys. Their hair parts at the crown in opposite directions. Mason seems to favor his right hand and Logan his left - although it's certainly still too early to make any calls on their handedness."
Mirror-image twins are monozygotic (identical) twins that develop asymmetric features. They may have different hand preferences, hair whorls that turn in opposite directions, birthmarks on opposite side of the body, or other features. It's an interesting phenomenon, and parents of these twins have some interesting stories to report! Be sure to stop by the message forum and read about them.
What about you? Do your twins show mirror-image tendencies? Leave a comment or share your thoughts on the message forum.
More Resources:
• Unique & Unusual Types of Twins
• Handedness in Twins
Mirror-image twins are monozygotic (identical) twins that develop asymmetric features. They may have different hand preferences, hair whorls that turn in opposite directions, birthmarks on opposite side of the body, or other features. It's an interesting phenomenon, and parents of these twins have some interesting stories to report! Be sure to stop by the message forum and read about them.
What about you? Do your twins show mirror-image tendencies? Leave a comment or share your thoughts on the message forum.
More Resources:
• Unique & Unusual Types of Twins
• Handedness in Twins
Being a twin is just incredible
I think me and my twin are mirror image. We are both girls, I am right-handed, she is left handed, i am more left-brained (more mathematical) and she is more right-brained (artistic). We both enjoy the same recreational activities, friends etc but have slightly different personalities. We are very close. I am right handed, she is left handed. I am slightly bigger than her, but most people cant tell the difference when they meet us. Being a twin rocks. U just couldnt find a better friend!
My 15-year-old grandsons are “mirror” twins. One is right-handed, but left brained; he excels in math and science, loves puzzles and has strong gross-motor skills. The other is left-handed and right brained; he excels in language, art and music and has strong fine-motor skills. They look very much alike are almost identical in height and weight and both are very good students.
They’ll be sophomores in high school this fall; one plans to major in engineering in college, the other wants to be an attorney.
It’s been really interesting watching them grow and develop.
Oh, one other difference of note: since infancy, the right-handed twin has needed more sleep than his brother.
I think my identical twin girls are mirrored. They are six and in first grade now. One is left side dominant and the other right. They have strabismus (lazy eye) and for each the strong eye is the same as the dominant hand. Their teeth came in opposite most of the time but not always. Their hair whorls are not opposite though and only one has any little moles. They were in the same placenta but separate sacks. Their cords were placed directly opposite each other, partially on the wall but partially on the membrane separating them. The specialist was worried about them being delivered at the same time so the placenta wouldn’t be pulled away from the cord of the second baby. After delivery my doc said they could have transfused (but didn’t) although they were not in the same sacks because of it. It is all such a mystery!