WHAT IS TWIN TO TWIN TRANSFUSION SYNDROME?
• Twin to twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) is a disease of the placenta (or afterbirth) that affects identical twin pregnancies. • TTTS affects identical twins (or higher multiple gestations), who share a common monochorionic placenta. • The shared placenta contains abnormal blood vessels, which connect the umbilical cords and circulations of the twins. • The common placenta may also be shared unequally by the twins, and one twin may have a share too small to provide the necessary nutrients to grow normally or even survive. • The events in pregnancy that lead to TTTS – the timing of the twinning event, the number and type of connecting vessels, and the way the placenta is shared by the twins are all random events that have no primary prevention (see section on The Monochorionic Placenta), is not hereditary or genetic, nor is it caused by anything the parents did or did not do. TTTS can happen to anyone. The placenta is the only biologic structure that can cause the death or injury of m
