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|  File Name      : BABYGONE.ASC     |  Online Date     :  10/06/94          |
|  Contributed by : Jerry Decker     |  Dir Category    :  BIOLOGY           |
|  From           : KeelyNet BBS     |  DataLine        :  (214) 324-3501    |
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The following relates to a phenomenon that is frequently claimed in the UFO
field but no one ever mentions this natural event (at least I've not seen it
written about anywhere and tied to the UFO fetus snatching claims).

Years ago, when I was heavily involved with UFO studies as President of MUFON
Metroplex here in the Dallas area, we had Budd Hopkins, author and researcher
of many 'missing time' cases.  It was an honor to meet Mr. Hopkins and we had
a chance to speak about several matters which had been puzzling me.

Knowing that he had written and spoken on 'alien abductions' of fetuses from
'alien impregnated' human females, I asked if he had heard of the biological
phenomenon of the 'vanishing twin' and informed him that it was a common
occurrence in animals such as cats and dogs which have large litters.  Budd
said yes he was aware of the phenomenon but did not feel it necessary to bring
it to the attention of the public in his presentations or in his writing.

I found this intentional failure to provide all relevant information fairly
disturbing and it made me view Mr. Hopkins ideas with a somewhat more
skeptical eye than I had before.  I believe that all evidence should be
presented, especially the factual, proven evidence, and let the public decide
for themselves.  It not only FULLY informs everyone who is really interested
in the phenomenon but also builds the general credibility of the researcher in
an otherwise highly suspect field.
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From Science Digest - December 1982

Twin Vanishes During Pregnancy

An expectant mother, diagnosed as carrying twins, inexplicably produces but a
single baby.  The other child has disappeared without a trace.  The
phenomenon, known in Europe as the "vanishing twin," may be far more
commonplace than was ever suspected.

Vanishing twin episodes first came to light ONLY IN THE LAST FEW YEARS, when
ultrasound allowed doctors to peek into the womb and see MULTIPLE pregnancies
very early in gestation.  What they began finding was that, with STARTLING
FREQUENCY, one member of a fetal pair suddenly stops developing IN THE FIRST
TRIMESTER and is reabsorbed into its mother's tissue.

Obstetricians Louis Keith and Helain Landy of Northwestern University Medical
School have begun combing the literature and studying case histories to
determine the frequency of vanishing twin cases.  Precise figures are hard to
come by; few women are examined ultrasonically early enough in pregnancy to
detect a second fetus before it has already been absorbed.  Nevertheless,
Keith and Landy believe from their investigations that fully 10 to 20 percent
of all twins conceived may vanish during gestation.

Other researchers, notably biologist Salvatore Levi of Brugmann University
Hospital in Brussels, think the figures are much higher.  In a study of
pregnant women, Levi found that of those carrying twins, a staggering 71
percent ultimately had a single infant.

Landy believes that through some unknown process, the mother's system may
choose the hardier of two wombmates for survival and permit ONLY THAT ONE to
come to term.

Keith agrees, remarking, "In many of our reproductive functions, we are no
different from other animals except for the fact that we don't have litters.
But maybe we DO have litters.  Maybe human beings have multiple fertilizations
much more commonly than ever believed." He adds, "I think the vanishing twin
is a biological phenomenon, period.  I don't see any way of preventing it."

For that reason, Keith and Landy stress that physicians should learn to deal
compassionately with the potential trauma resulting from a vanished offspring.

"Obviously," Landy notes, "for a woman to be told that she's going to have
twins and then to find out that she's not - or worse yet, to be told after
delivery that one of her expected twins never arrived - is quite an emotional
shock.  It's up to her doctor to help her adjust."
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