Hello XXXXXXX,
Thank you for your query.

Firstly it would help me if you provide some details about the " medical history of cysts " that you have mentioned. It could significantly affect your decision of delaying the conception.

Giving you the perspective of your age, Many people today wait until they're older to have children. But fertility declines over time, and you should consider this if you plan to have children later.
Both women and men are at their most fertile in their early twenties.
In women, fertility declines more quickly with age. This decline becomes rapid after the age of 35. This has a number of causes, but particularly the decline is due to the decrease in the quality of the eggs released by the ovaries.
Around one-third of couples in which the woman is over 35 have fertility problems. This rises to two-thirds when the woman is over 40.
Women over 35 are also less likely to become pregnant as a result of fertility treatments, including IVF, and are more likely to have a miscarriage if they do become pregnant.
Men’s fertility gradually declines from around the age of 40, but most men are able to father children into their 50s and beyond.

Hence, it does not make sense for you to further postpone the pregnancy, unless you have dire commitments or reasons. Everything can be prioritized around your children if you wish. Also, pregnancy beyond the age of 30, even if you do conceive easily, is prone to many complications due to advanced maternal age. Chances of abnormalities like Down's syndrome and other chromosomal disorders in the baby increase, risk of complications like hypertension, diabetes etc. also increase. You would be physically fit to provide for your children if you have them relatively early.

All said and done, you should plan for a pregnancy now, considering your age, instead of delaying it.

Regarding your second question,

As you probably know, twins come in two types — fraternal and identical. Fraternal twins are produced from two different eggs that are each fertilized by different sperm, which results in two embryos with different genetic make-up. Identical twins are produced when a fertilized egg divides in two, and both "halves" grow into identical twins that have the same genetic make-up.

To answer your question, the propensity to bear fraternal twins does run in families, but one generation doesn't necessarily have a higher probability of having fraternal twins than another. Fraternal twins occur in about 12 of every 1000 births. There is no evidence that the likelihood of having identical twins is impacted by genetics. Identical twins occur in approximately 4 of every 1000 births, and are no more common in any one group of people.

Fraternal twinning is caused by a gene on the X chromosome. This gene may cause hyper-ovulation — when a woman's ovaries release more than one egg per ovulation cycle. A woman can inherit the hyper-ovulation gene from either of her parents. However, if she inherits it from her father, the gene will appear to "skip a generation" because men cannot affect whether his partner's ovaries will release multiple eggs. Thus, a man with a family history of fraternal twins is not more likely to father twins himself. But, if a man has fraternal twins in his family, he can pass the twin gene on to a daughter.

The probability of fraternal twins is, therefore, impacted by whether a particular generation has more males or females. If your grandparents had all boys, none of them would contribute to multiple births in the next generation. But if your grandparents had daughters along with your twin uncles, those aunts would have an increased probability of having twins too.

There are other factors that appear to influence the probability of a woman releasing more than one egg per cycle. Women of African descent are two times more likely than Caucasian women to have twins, and four times more likely than Asian women. Women who are well-nourished, who are between the ages of 20 and 35, or who have had children before all have a higher probability of having fraternal twins.

All said and done, the mathematics says that you need not worry about twins at this stage. Twin pregnancy does have complications and risks like hypertension, diabetes, preterm labour, growth restriction etc, and as I already said, the risk is compounded if maternal age is advanced.

Please do not think along the lines of twin pregnancy right now, as I feel the risk is too small to worry about, and in case twins do occur, they can be managed quite well medically.

Hope I have clarified all your doubts.
All the best, take care, and feel free to ask further questions.

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Hi again,
With polycystic ovaries, I think the matter is even more complicated.
Polycystic ovaries generally cause irregular cycles and problems in ovulation.
Women with polycystic ovaries often need medications to aid ovulation and conception.
My advise is not to delay pregnancy at all, and to start planning immediately.
In fact, there is no guarantee that after trying, you will immediately conceive, so I would advise to start planning a family at the earliest, without any delay.
Take care

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