Step 1: My twin is still inside me!

If it's hard to know exactly hat happened, but you have asked questions and explored all the signs of being a womb twin survivor , then perhaps your twin hardly made it into existence before being absorbed into your body.

There may have been a visible tangible result, as described in Chapter 6 of Womb Twin Survivors:


The twin within takes three different forms:







1.  A teratoma
A  mass within the body with clearly visible body parts such as teeth and one and sometimes even partial limbs.






 2. A dermoid cyst, or a (mature cystic teratoma)








3. A fetus in fetu



These three forms seem to describe a spectrum of development.

Here is the reference (there are more than 300 references in all)

Higgi 15. ns, K. R. & B. D. Coley, (2006) Fetus in fetu and fetaform teratoma in two neonates: an embryologic spectrum? Journal of Ultrasound Medicine Vol. 25, No. 2, pp. 259-63

People with the remains of their twin still within their body are womb twin survivors. They have their own feelings about what might have been, even if it just an occasional a passing  thought.


As a child I had an undescended testis that turned to cancer as an adult. Part of the cancer was in the form of a small teratoma.......All I can tell you is that I was happy I survived the surgery but had this profound feeling of loss. I was empty inside, having lost something.