What is Dichorionic Diamniotic Pregnancy?

A Dichorionic Diamniotic Pregnancy is one kind of twin pregnancy in which each of the twins develop in a separate chorionic and amniotic sac inside the womb of the expecting mother.

This case is detected by the Gynecologist only when Ultrasound is done. Otherwise, the expecting mother does not get to know about this kind of twin pregnancy. This is also termed as DCDA twin pregnancy.

DCDA twin pregnancy is the most common form of twin pregnancy. It consists of more than 70% of all the twin pregnancy cases. DCDA twin pregnancies are mostly dizygonic twin pregnancies (having two separate zygotes) but in some cases, they may also be monozygotic(having a single zygote). In the dizygotic twin pregnancy, there are two ova which are separately fertilized by two sperms which lead to two separate zygotes.

The following are the features of DCDA twin pregnancy-

• There is a presence of 2 separate gestational sacs inside the womb of the mother

• The presence of a thick intertwin membrane

• Two sacs of yolk

If the twins have the same sex, it is difficult to understand even after Ultrasound whether the pregnancy is monozygotic or dizygotic in nature.

In DCDA pregnancy, there are two separate amniotic sacs which are actually water bags inside the two individual fetuses of the mother. Each of the fetuses has its own separate placenta as well.

The case of having twin pregnancy, specially DCDA pregnancy increases manifold if the pregnancy is done through Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) which may be in the form of In Vitro Fertilization.

The word dichorionic means that there is multiple gestation with two different placenta or two separate chorions. The word diamniotic means that the pregnancy occurs with two different amniotic cavities. Twinning with monozygotic or dizygotic twinning can lead to DCDA twins.

The identification of DCDA twin pregnancy is done through Ultrasound by the Gynecologist. Only in the first trimester, it gets known whether there are two different gestational sacs present inside the womb of the pregnant lady. If it is not identified until the second trimester of pregnancy, of gets difficult to figure out the DCDA pregnancy after that. In the later stages of pregnancy, i.e. after the second trimester, the placenta may fuse together with each other to become one placenta and then identification of DCDA twins may get difficult.

DCDA pregnancies are the least risky of all kinds of twin pregnancy. They may be a few complications which occur such as placenta related problems like increased velamentous cord insertion, increased chance of marginal cord insertion, increased chance of placenta previa spectrum, etc.

To identify whether you have a DCDA twin pregnancy or not, you need to consult your Gynecologist. For the best consultation during pregnancy, there are the best Gynecologist in Noida you can refer to. Through all stages of your pregnancy, consulting a Gynecologist for a healthy childbirth and monitoring the stages of your pregnancy are necessary. Make sure that you select your Gynecologist even before you are pregnant so that you can get complete guidance in order to have a healthy pregnant life.