Vanishing twin syndrome


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Vanishing twin syndrome


Vanishing twin syndrome is a condition in which one of two fetuses disappears sometime during the first 12 weeks of a pregnancy.

Early in a multiple pregnancy, it is possible for a woman to miscarry one fetus and to notice some vaginal bleeding or to notice nothing unusual. Sometimes the embryo or fetus is reabsorbed by the mother's body.

Vanishing twin syndrome may be caused by too little of the hormone that supports pregnancy (human chorionic gonadotropin, or hCG). It does not appear to harm the mother or the surviving twin.

Credits


Author Jeannette Curtis
Author Caroline Rea, RN, BS, MS
Editor Kathleen M. Ariss, MS
Editor Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA
Associate Editor Tracy Landauer
Associate Editor Pat Truman, MATC
Primary Medical Reviewer Patrice Burgess, MD - Family Medicine
Primary Medical Reviewer Adam Husney, MD - Family Medicine
Primary Medical Reviewer Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine
Last Updated May 25, 2007

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Last updated: May 25, 2007
Author: Caroline Rea, RN, BS, MS
Reviewed By: Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine
Editors: Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA, Pat Truman, MATC

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