10 Healthful Foods That Will Help You Conceive Twins
Asides from genetics, the food you eat also plays a huge role in you conceiving twins. Today we will be revealing to you the 10 healthful foods that will help you Conceive Twins. The types of Twins can be divided into identical or fraternal. Identical twins come about by one fertilized egg splitting to form two fetuses. Fraternal twins develop from two sperm fertilizing two different eggs.
Other factors that increase the chances of having twins include age, height, fertility treatments and family history.
Women from Igbo ora, a small town in southwestern Nigeria, are known to have the highest number of twin births in the world. This is attributed to their daily meals of cassava, yams and okra leaves. Studies also show that a diet rich in nutrients increases one’s chances of conceiving twins.
In this article, we will be discussing various healthful foods that can help you welcome double bundles of joy when you are trying to conceive. Eat these foods regularly and watch the magic enfold.
10 healthful foods that will help you conceive twins
1. White yams
White yams are rich sources of phytoestrogens and progesterone which can lead to hyperovulation. Hyperovulation occurs when a woman releases more than one egg during ovulation.
The women of Igbo ora, a small town in Oyo State, Nigeria, believe that a type of food made from white yams and cassava, known as Amala, is responsible for their birthing of the highest number of twins in the world.
Also, one study speculated that yams contain a chemical that makes the brain assume there is less oestrogen, thereby increasing the level of gonadotropin being produced and increasing ovulation.
Yams are delicious and nutritious to eat, and they can be boiled, fried, baked, roasted or made into flour.
2. Cassava
Cassava is food filled with various nutrients. It is also assumed that cassava contains chemicals that cause hyperovulation. It is a common food in Igbo ora also where the whole tuber is blended with yam to prepare Amala. Cassava can be eaten in the form of garri, lafun, tapioca etc.
3. Dairy products
Women who regularly consume dairy products like milk, yoghurt, butter, are five times more likely to conceive twins; studies have shown.
The study showed that growth hormones given to these animals cause the production of Insulin Growth factor (IGF) hormone in the body which causes hyperovulation.
4. Zinc-rich foods
Foods rich in zinc also improve the chances of conceiving twins. They improve fertility in men and women. They improve sperm count, sperm motility and and makes it easier to conceive twins.
Examples of such foods include shellfish, whole grains, legumes, oysters, crabs, meat, seeds and eggs. You can also get zinc supplements online or in pharmacies.
5. Complex carbohydrates
Complex carbohydrates also help in conceiving twins. Complex carbohydrate foods provide vitamins, minerals and fibre to the body. Complex carbohydrate foods include beans, vegetables, peas and pasta.
6. Fruits and vegetables
Fruits and vegetables in the diet also increase one’s chances of conceiving twins. They are rich in nutrients that promote twin conception. Examples of these include watermelon, mango, oranges, green leafy vegetables and so on.
7. Okra leaves
Okra leaves contain vitamin C, fibre, calcium, iron and protein. They are used in making soups that Amala is eaten within Igbo ora, the twin capital of the world.
8. Foods rich in folic acid
Foods rich in folic acid also help in conceiving twins. Folic acid occur naturally as Folate in foods like cabbage, spinach, legumes, liver, broccoli and fortified cereals. Studies say that women who take more folic acid have a higher chance of conceiving twins.
More so, folic acid is important for women trying to get pregnant and pregnant women as it prevents the baby from having spina bifida and anencephaly. Spina bifida is a birth defect in which a baby’s spinal cord fails to develop properly, while anencephaly is a birth defect in which a baby is born with an incomplete skull and an underdeveloped brain. See why folic acid is important?
9. Pineapple core
This is also an important food for conceiving twins. It contains a substance known as Bromelain, which is a type of protein that helps with ovulation and fertilization. Pineapples can be added to your diet by eating it straight, making it into smoothies, salads or even a pizza.
10. Maca root
Maca root, also known as Peruvian ginseng is also an ideal food that helps in conceiving twins. This root balances and regulates women’s hormones. It also increases the chances of getting pregnant with twins. It can be consumed by adding the dried or powdered form to your tea, smoothie or yoghurt.
Factors that also increase your chances of conceiving twins
Apart from the food you consume, there are also other factors that increase one’s chances of conceiving twins. These factors are as follows:
1. Genetics
Genetics may play a role in your having fraternal twins, but not identical twins. According to research, the chances of having fraternal twins is almost two times higher for women whose mother or sister had fraternal twins. This increased chance is caused by a gene which causes hyperovulation, known as the twin gene.
However, since only women ovulate, the connection is only applicable to the mother’s side of the family. Men may carry the gene and pass it to their daughters. A family history of having twins does not mean men will necessarily have twins. But if he passes the ‘twin gene’ to his daughter, there is a higher chance of her conceiving twins.
2. Weight
Women who are overweight or obese have a higher chance of conceiving twins. Studies show that women who have a body mass index of above 30 have the highest chances. However, do not intentionally gain weight to increase your chances of having twins.
This may put you into the high-risk category of pregnancy. Consult your physician on the perfect weight for you to conceive.
3. Height
Taller women seem to have a higher chance of conceiving twins. This is because they have growth hormones that may help them easily get pregnant with twins.
4. Ethnicity
African women have a higher chance of conceiving twins compared to Caucasian, Asian and Hispanic women.
Conclusion
Twin births are special phenomena that most women desire. Continue to eat the foods that will help you Conceive Twins, exercise regularly, take beneficial supplements, and see your physician for more advice on how you can conceive twins easily.