With an Australian study finding that nearly a third of twins were incorrect when asked to identify if they were identical or not, AMBA believes that understanding and determining zygosity may be a matter of curiosity for some parents, but for some multiples it is lifesaving knowledge.

AMBA launched a Multiple Birth Awareness Week (MBAW) campaign in March 2021 with a goal of driving awareness around a misconception when it comes to determining zygosity of multiple birth children. MBAW is a national campaign to raise awareness around, and draw attention to, the unique realities for multiple birth families in Australia - and how advocacy, positive education and engaged communities can contribute to enabling positive health outcomes for families with multiples.

In 2021, the theme for Multiple Birth Awareness Week was “Identical or Fraternal? Testing for zygosity matters”. Zygosity refers to the degree of genetic similarity within each pair of twins; in other words, how similar their DNA is. 

• what zygosity is
• the common indicators that people use to try and determine zygosity
• why researchers and health professionals believe the knowledge gap needs to be addressed
  
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