Me? A Baby Cannibal? - The Vanishing Twin Saga No One Asked For
- Akshara Gupta
- Jul 30
- 4 min read
Personal disclaimer:
I have a twin sister. She’s alive and—NO—I didn’t eat her. She will definitely read this article (Hey, Twin) and wish she had eaten me instead. Sooo... this isn’t about me. Though it could have been.
Okii. Now that I have un-cancelled myself. Let's talk about people who have actually killed their twins.
Vanishing Twin Syndrome: Early Access to the Afterlife
Vanishing twin syndrome (VTS) is the term used when one twin or multiple fetuses in a multiple pregnancy is lost and absorbed (yum!?) by the mother's body or the surviving fetus(es), usually in the first trimester.
A.K.A, feticide by the fetus.
Why does it happen:
● Genetic Abnormalities
- Most common reason
- Errors in genes which may affect vital body organs
● Issues with placenta or umbilical cord
- One twin may not get equal nutrients or blood, thus fail to develop - If one embryo stops developing early, and the body reabsorbs it, leaving no obvious symptoms.
● Early miscarriage
- Sometimes, the mother may not even know that she is pregnant with twins.
Vanishing Twins: Rare Drama or Everyday Plotline?
It's not uncommon, just unnoticed.
➔ 1 in 8 pregnancies may begin as a twin pregnancy, but only one baby is eventually born.
➔ General estimates suggest VTS occurs in 20–30% of multifetal pregnancies (twins or more).
➔ With advanced ultrasounds, it's been found that up to 1 in 5 pregnancies might start with multiple embryos, but many of the extra embryos "vanish" in the early weeks.
But, did you actually un-alive your womb-mate?
Nope, you were literally a flesh-y blueberry. It was natural selection. You just got lucky.
I’m Not Two-Faced, I’m Two-Genome d
Chimerism is when a person has 2 sets of DNA, kinda like a biological smoothie. It goes more like this:
Step 1: You start as twins
Step 2: One embryo goes Whooshh
Step 3: You absorb the remains of your twin ( Why waste !! )
Step 4: You are born – a perfectly healthy looking baby
PLOT TWIST: You have two sets of DNA in different parts of your body.
Real Life Plotlines
Karen Keegan
A normal Boston mom in need of a kidney transplant. Doctors did a routine DNA testing on her kids to find a match. But her kids’ DNA didn't match her– it literally said that she was not their real mom
| Karen: “I birthed them with my entire body.”
| Lab: “That’s cute. Still not yours.”
| Karen: “EXCUSE ME??”
Turns out, she had two pairs of DNA
➔ One in her blood
➔ Another one in her ovaries
My Son is My Nephew
In a case published by Dr. Barry Starr from Stanford University —
A couple had a baby via IVF and did a routine paternity test for documentation and LOL Behold — the father’s DNA showed zero match. They were ready to sue the fertility clinic, assuming a sperm mix-up.
But then comes out the truth — The dad has 2 sets of DNA and the sperm that fertilized the egg came from his testicular tissue, which carried his twin’s DNA, not his own bloodline DNA.
The Two Toned Singer
Taylor Muhl was born as a chimaera. A distinct line running down her torso dividing it into two distinct skin tones. Additionally, her body sometimes reacts against her own body as if recognising her twin’s cell as foreign objects.
Creepy or Cool
Kinda both. But it's not a bad thing. Rather it's a pretty good ice- breaker at a tense party, “ heyyy, I am not single, I have my twin absorbed inside me. You know… backup companion”.
Worst-case scenario: you’re arguing with yourself and technically still losing to your twin. Who’s not even really alive.
Final Thoughts
While Vanishing Twin Syndrome and Chimerism may sound like the work of some shady geneticists (straight out of a Nidhi Upadhyay thriller), they’re not. It's real and it's normal and surprisingly common. So, if you are wondering whether you are some biological wonder. . . . . you just may be. But identity crisis not, cause you are100% you even if you are biologically two.
So maybe you do have a twin vibing in you, or maybe they ghosted you. Either way, you’re the one who is lucky enough to read this article– not them.
P.S. Mumma, if you’re reading this — just imagine your womb turning to one of us and saying,
“Sorry, you’re not on the guest list.”
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