I was reading some articles on pregnancy (I'm a day past due right now) and I found this article about vanishing twin syndrome. It's an interesting article regardless, but I was intrigued by the part about embryos fusing into what they called a "chimera—essentially two people in one body" and suggests this could be a cause for people to be born with "structures from both male and female reproductive organs." It sounded like an interesting concept but I had never heard of it before. Anyone else here ever heard of this?

Here's the link to the article, be sure to read both pages:
http://www.babyzone.com/features/co...tID=1525&Page=1

-ADimple79

http://jmg.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/36/11/866

It's a widely held belief that true hermaphrodite is the result of "vanishing twin". The above article is a letter to the editor of a journal about it. There are others who wander in that are much more smarter than I am however on genetics and chimerism.

Congratulations on the baby!

Betsy

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Until you've lost your reputation, you never realize what a burden it was or what freedom really is. --Margaret Mitchell

Well, thank you Betsy for the link, that was really very interesting. Wow, you learn something new everyday

Getting impatient with this baby... since this is my second child I figured she would come early, but she's being stubborn Wish she would just get her butt out here... My son was due 10-15-01 and was born on 10-14, and this one was due 10-15-04 (yes I looked at the nurse kinda funny when she gave me the same due date) and I don't know when she's gonna get here. *sigh* oh well
-Adimple79

hi adimple , and betsy i know this is an old post , but i havnt been around much.. i grew up hearing the term , "unsplit-twin ", and the term "46xx/46xy ,male prev chimera ",vanishing twin just seems to be a new [pc/term] for an old lable , betsy thank you for the article you posted , from BMJ . and dimple congratz .... beach

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mutation is THE key to evolution {{{{xxxy}}}}undefined

In case any of you are wondering, yes the baby did finally get here. I was scheduled for an induction that I would have gone in for on the night of October 19th, but I went into labor on my own the morning of October 19th. I went in about 5 pm when my contractions were coming close enough together. It took them forever to find my file cause they had put it in the induction pile already. Actually, it took them forever to do everything. I told them I wanted an epidural when I got there (I had one with my son, and I was already in a lot of pain and I knew there was more to come). Well, I never got my epidural, I barely even got the single dose of painkiller through the IV before the pushing contractions came. And she came out fast! She was born just after 8 pm October 19th. 7 pounds 10 ounces, 20 inches long.
Here's her pic: http://www.kmcn.org/babygallerySVH/showbaby.cfm?id=4045
Her dad's name is Ryan, it says Brian on the page...long story...
But yeah, that's my little one who finally decided to make her debut. :)
Thanks for the congrats all!
-ADimple

Congratulations Angela!

Welcome to the world Alecia!

__________________
Until you've lost your reputation, you never realize what a burden it was or what freedom really is. --Margaret Mitchell