After believing that her daughters were fraternal twins for so long, a mom was stunned when a genetic test revealed otherwise.
Not long after Tamara Vanderent, 30, discovered that she was expecting twins, she was told that they were what’s known as dichorionic diamniotic (DCDA) twins. This means that each baby has their own placenta and amniotic sac, rather than sharing with each other.
As a result, Vanderent told Newsweek that she always thought that Ava and Mia “were fraternal twins because they were DCDA.”
The girls were born in January 2024, and since then, Vanderent and her husband have continued to notice differences between them. However, people often ask if they’re identical, which led the parents to do a genetic test to finally find out for certain.
“There is still a slight chance DCDA twins could be identical, but it’s pretty rare and all depends on when the egg split,” Vanderent said. “The doctors told us we’d only be able to confirm if the babies were identical if we did a genetic test once they were born.”
However, the couple, from Sydney, Australia, were amazed by the results of the genetic test.
Following years of thinking they were fraternal twins, the test showed that they’re in fact identical twins.
Vanderent said: “When we saw the genetic test result, I was shocked to be honest. My husband and I were convinced they were fraternal as they look different to us. Maybe because we see them every day.
“The only reason we tested is because we constantly get asked if they’re identical. We thought we would do the test so we could tell people for sure. I think it’s nice for the girls to know if they share 100 percent DNA,” she continued.
Vanderent shared a video on TikTok (@tamaravanderent) showing the moment they found out the girls are actually identical twins. The clip has gone viral with over 1.1 million views and more than 74,400 likes on TikTok at the time of writing.
Alongside the clip, she wrote in the caption that she’s “so glad” that she finally has “an answer if people ask.”
She never imagined the video would go viral, but Vanderent has loved connecting with other twin parents and showing that DCDA twins aren’t always fraternal.
“So many people think they look exactly the same, so they were convinced the girls would be identical. There is a common misconception that all DCDA twins are fraternal, so it’s nice that we were able to spread awareness and let other parents of DCDA twins know that there is a chance the twins could be identical,” Vanderent told Newsweek.
With over 850 comments on the video so far, many TikTok users were quick to share their thoughts on the results.
One comment reads: “from an outsider…they look very obviously identical.”
Another TikTok user wrote: “I know fraternal twins who look identical, it’s weird but it happens.”
While another commenter added: “Am I the only one who thinks they look very different?”
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