The chances of becoming pregnant with more than one baby is relatively small. The University of Maryland Medical Center identifies that the likelihood of a multiple pregnancy is about a 1.5 percent chance. In vitro fertilization and a family history of twins can increase the chances for certain women. Pregnancy symptoms for women who are carrying multiple babies may be the same as a pregnancy with one baby, but the symptoms may be exacerbated. Some signs may lead a health-care provider to suspect multiple pregnancies, which can be confirmed via an ultrasound or a Doppler listening device used to find the fetal heartbeat.
Morning Sickness
Morning sickness, or vomiting and nausea in pregnancy, affects most pregnant women. When a woman is pregnant with more than one baby, she may have more severe or intense morning sickness, says the American Pregnancy Association. Morning sickness can occur at any time during the day and can even last as long as a woman is awake. Persistent morning sickness may require medical intervention, such as a prescription for antinausea medication to improve the situation. In rare cases, the morning sickness can impact the fetal rate of weight gain.
Weight Gain
It is not uncommon for a woman pregnant with only one child to gain few, if any, weight during the first trimester. A woman with more than one baby may put on a few pounds, or she may have a rapid increase in weight right from the start of the pregnancy.
Normal Symptoms Increase
Many women experience breast tenderness, breast swelling, headaches and moodiness during pregnancy. These symptoms may be some of the very first signs of pregnancy. Multiple fetuses can cause these symptoms to be more persistent or intense than if the woman were only pregnant with one baby.
Heartbeat
During the first and second prenatal appointments, a health-care provider will carry out a few routine measurements that will reveal a pregnancy consisting of more than one fetus. Depending on which week of the pregnancy the prenatal care begins, a Doppler listening device can be used to identify multiple heartbeats. An ultrasound can also reveal multiple babies and is often done to detect the heartbeat early in the pregnancy.
Uterine Growth
The fundal height, or the distance from the pubic bone and the edge of the uterus, is taken at nearly every prenatal appointment. This measurement helps the doctor identify how many weeks a woman is into her pregnancy. Multiple fetuses will cause the uterus to be larger, making the fundal height larger and the doctor to conclude the pregnancy is further along than the woman expects.
Higher hCG
A blood test, often done to confirm a pregnancy, can reveal high levels of a hormone that exists during pregnancy called hCG (human chorionic gonadotrophin). This measurement can be higher for women pregnant with more than one child.
Intuition
It is not unusual for a woman to suspect she is pregnant with multiples based on nothing more than her intuition. This is especially possible when twins or multiple pregnancies run in the family.
