New QIMR study could reveal reason behind fertility

A simple saliva test could reveal a woman’s likelihood of producing twins as well as any underlying fertility issues, a QIMR Berghofer study has found.

QIMR Berghofer’s Professor Nick Martin

A simple saliva test could reveal a woman’s fertility level and the likelihood of producing twins, a study led by Brisbane’s QIMR Berghofer institute has found.

The study identified seven genes that regulated the female propensity for giving birth to spontaneous dizygotic (DZ) twins, otherwise known as non-identical twins, as well as if women had a lower chance of conceiving naturally.

QIMR Berghofer researcher Professor Nick Martin said the group had studied thousands of DNA samples provided by mothers of non-identical twins in Australia and internationally over many years to identify what genes they had in common.

“It has long been known that fraternal twins have a genetic basis, with non-identical twins often running in families,” he said.

“However identifying the genetic factors which cause fraternal twins has been like searching for a needle in a haystack.

“Powerful technology called gene chips has helped advance this research.

“We combined data from five independent studies in Australia, the Netherlands, United States, United Kingdom and Iceland on 8265 mothers of spontaneous DZ twins and 264,567 controls, as well as UK, Finnish and Swedish data on independent DZ twin offspring.”

Prof Martin said the test also had the ability to identify issues on the other end of the scale – including if a woman could have trouble conceiving.

“When we look at women who have conceived twins, they are on the top end of the fertility scale, my question is then what happens at the other end, the women that are unable or have difficulty conceiving,” he said.

“The test could have some really practical results especially for younger women who do not know yet if they have difficulty in conceiving and as a result might consider trying at an earlier age, so we really are looking at and defining a spectrum of fertility.”

Saskia Bollmann, mother of two-year-old twins Max and Pip, said they were the first twins in her extended family.

“It was a huge surprise, I’m curious as to why we had twins and if any of my family may also have twins going forward,” she said.

“I signed up for the study, it was easy and uncomplicated, for gene studies to be meaningful they need many participants and I think it’s really valuable.”

Professor Martin is encouraging all mothers of non-identical twins to take part in the study.