We all know that siblings can have different fathers, making them technically half-brothers or half-sisters.
What about twins?
Yes, it happens. It’s rare—but possible. In fact, in a Passaic County paternity case from May 8, 2015, a woman from New Jersey found out that two different men have fathered her twins. The woman was applying for public assistance, naming her romantic partner as the father of both children, according to a report by the New York Times.
A DNA paternity test, however, showed that the man fathered only one of the twins. The judge ruled that the man has to pay child support for only one of the children.
How It Happens
How is this even possible? It’s simple: two eggs from the same woman were fertilized by two different fathers—within the same ovulation period.
To make things easier to understand, note this: it happens in some animal species all the time. Dogs are a clear example. Dogs ovulate several eggs, and when the dog is “coming into season,” any male dog nearby will try to mate with the female dog. This makes it so that each egg could be fertilized by a different male dog. This is why some dogs produce puppies that don’t look like one another.
Let’s go back to the Passaic County paternity case. In a testimony, the woman disclosed that she slept with another man a week after she first conceived. While humans are not dogs, a similar phenomenon with animals happens to us as well.
Bi-Paternal Twins in the United States
This phenomenon is rare, but research shows that it does happen from time to time, saying that as many as 1 in 400 sets of fraternal twins are actually “bi-paternal.” Also, superfecundation twins were at the root of more than 2% of US paternity suits involving twins in 1992.
Make It Certain
If you think you fathered twins who look nothing alike, or know someone who does, it’s not safe to immediately assume that they have separate fathers. As with full siblings, twins who have the same father can look completely different from each other.
The best thing you can do is to try non-invasive paternity testing solutions from DNA Plus. You might also want to try our infidelity testing service if you’re having doubts about your partner’s commitment
to your relationship.
Interested in any of our services? Call us at 1-877-786-9323!