Why do my fraternal twins look identical?

It has been a few years since I've posted on here so I'm not sure the most appropriate forum (please move if needed). My boys are 5 almost 6 and still family, friends, and teachers cannot tell them apart. They are same height and weight too. Both left handed, they even poop at the same time

I was told they were fraternal when I was pregnant bc of 2 placentas. From day one - they have been similar. The running joke was if the grandparents couldn't tell them apart at 5 we would DNA test. Anyone have any experience with this? Do you have fraternals (been DNA tested and know for sure) that look identical? I think my boys look completely different... But then again I'm mom. Can DNA test distinguish polar body twins?

Here is a link to a photo session of the boys: http://lisamarshallphotography.blogspot.com/2011/09/austin-colton-4-years-old.html?m=1

Thanks!

 

About 25% of identical twins are di/di in utero and it is still misdiagnosed as being fraternal today. Mom was told we were fraternal when we were born but we've done two DNA tests and are identical.

Polar body twins are a myth.

 

There is no way your boys are fraternal! Identicals can have their own placentas.

What adorable, identical, boys you have! :wub:

 

I totally agree those two are definitely identical, you can test to confirm but I think most of us will agree they are ID And adorable to boot!! :wub:

 

I would love to see some more pictures, but I actually think they are fraternal based on those. It is kind of hard to tell with them having different facial expressions in the side by side pictures, but it looks like they have differently shaped lips and noses. That said, if they were running around and I couldn't get a good look at them, I could see where it would be hard to tell them apart.

 

They are adorable, and they look identical to me. I would do the test just because I would want to know for sure, but I would be very surprised if it came back fraternal.

ETA It is surprising to me that doctors today often still insist that twins with separate placentas/sacs are fraternal. There is no way to know that for sure before the babies are even born (unless, of course, you can see they are boy/girl) and sometimes you can't know for sure without the DNA test. I was told when I was 6 weeks pregnant, after my first ultrasound that I was having fraternal twins, by the ultrasound tech, the radiologist, and my OB. Now, obviously they were right, but there is NO way they could have known that for sure at 6 weeks!

 

The only difference I really see in them is their face shape, which can then sometimes slightly affect the way their eyes, noses, and mouths look. My boys are ID and the one with the rounder face has eyes that look smaller than the twin with the narrow/oval face shape.

 

One does have a broader forehead. And they have very different smiles and facial expressions. I always hear that fraternals may resemble each other like siblings but holy moly if they would have been born 2 years apart I would have freaked at the similarities. Has anyone seen/know fraternals that look this much alike?

Anyone suggest a DNA company to use?

 

I don't know any fraternals who look that much alike, but I have known several sets of identicals whose moms swore were fraternal until they had the DNA test done. :lol:

 

The Olsen twins! Apparently, they're fraternal. ardon:

A) Your boys are too adorable for words. Their hair! Love it.
B) You're an amazing photographer.
C) I also vote identical.

If you get the test, let us know the results. :good:

 

I have di/di boys and did a DNA test at 6 months old to know for sure... identical. I can tell them apart by slight differences in their face and head shape. I tested through Affiliated Genetics online. I received the testing packet very quickly and the results were equally as fast. The test now costs around $170.

I think they look identical. Very handsome boys and great photos!!! Love the shirts and ties!

 

Thanks everyone! I am going to look into a test... I will keep everyone posted. And thanks for the kind words about my photography and my handsome little men I absolutely love having twins (as I'm sure you all do too!!!)

 

I can't get over the white blonde hair!!!

oh and yea they're identical!

 

They look more Id than my Id twins but then Jess had issues that make then not look as id

 

I actually know siblings who are 18 years apart, different mothers, but if you look at child pictures from when they were the same age, if it weren't for the clothing dating them, you can't tell which one is which! There are siblings that look ID when you look back at pictures, so it is possible that they are fraternal, but still look very much alike. Like, Jenn, I also see differences which make me think they look fraternal.

 

Ya. You don't need a test. They are identical as the day is long. Absolutely positively 1000000000000% percent sure. Their ears are the same and what seals the deal is the one side by side. Sibs can and often do look a like.. but not the SAME!

They're id.

 

Totally just going to repeat what everyone else has said. You're medical team needs a little lesson in twinning. They can have two placentas and still be idential. If they look so much alike that people get them mixed up--they are identical. You don't need a test to prove it. If you want your own test, sneak in at night and take close ups of their faces when they are sleeping so their facial muscels are relaxed. (or use old photos from when they were around 9 months old and their personal expressions are less well developed). Then have someone else zoom in on one photo so it is showing just an eye. You look at it, Can you tell who's eye it is? Then do the same with a nose, a mouth, a chin, etc.
But generally, if you have to ask, they are identical. There is generally no question with faternals.

I've been on TS for 8 years and alway read these threads because I was also told by my OB that they would be faternal, but read that they could be ID--then the pedi team at the birth told me they were identical and I didn't believe it at first because they had different head shapes and even different skin tones, they grew out of both of those and by their first birthday I accepted the fact that they are identical. And I've only been wrong once about a case of faternals.

 

So funny you mention the sleep thing! Now and then one will sneak into bed with me at night. In the morning - I have to take a double take to know who it is. When they are asleep I have to get a good look at them or else I get them confused.

And at 9 months - I have to look at the names on the photos or search for a birthmark on the forehead. They looked more alike the younger they were.

 

Your guys look more identical than mine! We were told ours would be fraternal. I was told 2 placentas. Both were wrong. After they were born, the nurses said they hadn't seen a more identical looking pair of twins in a very long time. We used their anklets at home for the first couple of weeks to make sure we didn't mix them up. But, Jesse has always had a tell tale dimple that his twin doesn't have. I was certain the entire pg that the drs were wrong and that they were really identical. I looked at the first u/s and compared online to the pgs with one placenta. Sure enough over a year later I finally asked about the pathology on the placentas and there was only one. Also at about 5 or 6 months old, maybe sooner, we chose to pay for a genetic test. It came back identical. The Drs can be very wrong....Btw, mine are actually mirror identicals, which further complicates things. ;-)
To me your boys look identical, very identical.

 

They look ID to me! I knew at my first u/s (about five and half weeks I think) that mine would be fraternal. The doc showed me the ruptured follicle on each ovary. If you do the genetic test, come back and tell us the result!

 

I knew at 9 weeks, my first u/s. There was a large size difference and I was told they were conceived 5 days apart.

And your adorable boys look identical to me too.

 

I totally agree there is no way your boys are frats! They're adorable. When I was pregnant with my girls they they were di/di but the u/s tech told me there was still a chance they could be identical. We wouldn't know until they were born. My are day/night so I know they're frats.

 

My twins were di/di twins and we did zygosity testing when they were nearly one and it came back they were identical. My OB told us that if they were the same sex we may need to do that so he never called them identical or fraternal just di/di twins. GL I used proactive genetics and it took only 21 days to get the results back from when I shipped the samples to them.

 

They totally look identical to me! That said all of my boys look very much alike. Looking at photos of them at the same ages, most people can't tell them apart without background clues (including us lol). People mistake my 12 and 14 for twins all the time, which is funny because the 14 yo is almost a foot taller than the 12 yo.

 

I just have to say your boys are just beautiful. They are going to be heart breakers when they get older! Hehe. And I have to also say they totally look identical to me. I do not think they are fraternal.

 

I still get so shocked when I hear doctors tell twin mommies their twins are fraternal because they are two placentas. Twins can sill be identical even with two. If they have the same blood type, there is a good chance they can be identical. They are adorable by the way

 

You could know at 4 weeks you were having identical twins. IF they were in the same sac. You could not, however, know you were having fraternal twins at 4 weeks.