Safe and sound: Expert monitoring helps mother, twins through high-risk pregnancy

Emily Tate was almost three months pregnant when she found out she was having twins. It was her first pregnancy. Soon after, she was in for another surprise.

During an ultrasound at M Health Fairview Clinic – Wyoming, doctors discovered Tate was having monochorionic monoamniotic, or mono mono twins. Unlike typical twins, which have their own placenta and amniotic sac during pregnancy, mono mono twins share just one of each.

With the exception of conjoined twins, this is the rarest and highest-risk type of twin pregnancy. Mono mono twins face many potential health hazards, including tangled umbilical cords, which is a life-threatening situation. Because of the shared placenta, blood may also flow unevenly between the twins, causing developmental issues. In almost all cases, babies are delivered early.

Immediately after her ultrasound, Tate’s care team referred her to the M Health Fairview Maternal-Fetal Medicine Clinic for expert care.

“I would estimate that one in 35,000 to 60,000 pregnancies are mono mono,” said Maternal-Fetal Medicine Physician Sarah Cross, MD, medical director of The Birthplace at M Health Fairview Masonic Children’s Hospital. “Mono mono pregnancies require frequent, specialized ultrasounds to monitor the umbilical cords and the blood flow between fetuses.”