I thought my twins were fraternal, but no one can tell them apart. They refused to take a DNA test for me.

""Can you see this?" the technician asked. I stared at the screen above my burgeoning belly, and various shades of grey bobbed in and out of focus. "That's a head," she said, smiling. I exhaled, reassured there was indeed a human growing in my body. "Now, do you see that?" She pointed to a second shape-shifting bulge. "Is that the baby's bum?" my husband asked. "No," she said, taking a beat. "That's... another head.""

"I didn't question it. It was not until a recent Google search turned up that one-third of identical twins can separate within a few days of conception, each embryo developing its own placenta, that I was shocked. Not to mention that up to 20% of all twin births are misidentified. That's when it clicked in a way it hadn't before."

"Still, despite all the evidence, I clung to the fact that they were fraternal. There was a simplicity in knowing. Siblings, with two distinct DNAs, who just happened to be born 45 minutes apart. To us, they were simply The Littles, their older brothers, The Bigs. Now, at 23, they're no longer so little. Standing 6' tall, they have differing interests, friend groups, and life pursuit"

A third pregnancy produced a surprise discovery of twins at an ultrasound, prompting shock and urgent feelings of control. The twins were born at 34 weeks and grew up strikingly similar, often mistaken for one another and routinely close in size. A later internet search revealed that identical twins can develop separate placentas and that many twin births are misidentified, which challenged earlier assumptions. Despite clinical signs and curiosity, the twins declined DNA testing as adults. At 23, they have grown into distinct individuals with different heights, interests, and social circles.

Read at Business Insider