7 Natural Ways To Increase Your Chances Of Conceiving Twins

Twins are adorable, so, it’s little wonder a lot of couples yearn to have one or even more. If you fall within this category, here are a few tips to help boost your chances of conceiving one naturally…

1. Try conceiving after age 35

Statistics show that while 1 in 16 pregnancies in mums in their twenties results into twins, 1 in 5 does in mums between 35 and 39. This is because as a result of decline in the number of viable eggs in the ovaries, an older woman’s body produces more follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) to facilitate ovulation. There is also usually a surge in the fertility hormone oestrogen. It is therefore likely that more than one egg is released and fertilised.

2. Try conceiving immediately after stopping the pill

Getting pregnant immediately or within few months of stopping hormonal birth control is also said to boost the chances of conceiving twins. The hormonal adjustments a woman’s body undergoes during this period increases chances of releasing multiple eggs during ovulation.

3. Take lots of foods rich in folates

Eating folate-rich foods including green leafy vegetables, liver, beans, citrus fruits, beans, avocado, tomato juice, dried nuts and seeds, in addition to a folic acid supplement before trying to conceive is also said to help.

READ ALSO: True or False? 9 Beliefs Associated With Twins

4. Oysters are good too

Encourage your spouse to eat some oysters as they are high in Zinc and boost healthy sperm production and motility (ability to swim swiftly to your released eggs). The latter increases chances your partner’s sperm will be able to fertilize more than one egg.

Other good sources of zinc are green leafy vegetables, seeds, red meat, poultry, wheat germ, cashews and kidney beans.

5. Eat more yams

Twins tend to be more common in areas where yams form a major part of their diet. It is thought that a chemical component found in this food causes hyperovulation – the release of two eggs or more from the ovaries during a monthly cycle, increasing the chances of conceiving multiples.

6. Breastfeeding

If you are a nursing mum and yearning for twins, you may consider waiting till much later to wean your baby. You may continue breastfeeding till around 13 – 18 months and start trying for another baby within the period. It is said that a breastfeeding mum’s body’s production of higher percentage of the hormone prolactin increases the chances of conceiving twins.

7. Eat lots of dairy products

Eating lots of dairy foods, especially around the time of ovulation, may also help boost your chances of conceiving multiples. A study reportedly discovered women who consumed lots of dairy products while trying to conceive increased their chances of having twins 5 times more than women who didn’t.

Also note that mums who are a twin or twins run in their family, have had previous births, and are tall, generally have increased chances of conceiving twins naturally.

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