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Vanishing Twin Syndrome: ‘Shrouded in Mystery’

February 7, 2024

What: An essay from Eleanor Barker-White on experiencing “vanishing twin syndrome”, when one fetus is absorbed by the other in the womb.

Why it matters: Barker-White puts into words how so many things can feel when pregnant, writing that “medical professionals dismissed the syndrome as ‘one of those things.’ There is nothing that can be done to prevent or treat the condition. Whispers between similar grief-stricken, guilt-ridden parents on parenting and fertility forums showed that it was a relatively common phenomenon, yet the syndrome was still shrouded in mystery.”

Source: Time

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