Do Twins Run In Amal Clooney's Family?

Something marvelous must be in the water. Just days after singer-songwriter Beyoncé shocked and delighted the world with the news that she's pregnant with twins, The Talk's Julie Chen announced on Thursday that George and Amal Clooney are also reportedly expecting two bundles of joy. So, is this just a wonderful coincidence or do twins run in Amal Clooney’s family?

You might think so if you've ever seen her younger sister Tala Alamuddin, an event planner who lives in Singapore with her 12-year-old daughter Mia, according to The Telegraph. Much like Clooney, the rarely-seen sibling has long luscious locks and statuesque height. As their ages prove, the two are definitely not twins. But even if they were, it wouldn't have determined Clooney's pregnancy. "A woman who is an identical twin is no more likely to give birth to twins than anyone else," experts advise, according to BabyCenter.com.

The 39-year-old civil rights lawyer also has two half-brothers, Samer and Ziad Alamuddin, from her father's first marriage, and it doesn't appear that they are twins either. But just because Clooney or her siblings aren't twins, it doesn't mean that they don't run in her family. As there isn't extensive information readily available about her parents' genes, it's hard to completely rule out the possibility.

But let's say there are twins somewhere in Clooney's family tree: The type of twins they are (fraternal or identical) would help answer this question.

"There's no evidence that identical twins run in families," according to the National Health Service in the United Kingdom. "However, non-identical twins can run in families." And if there are non-identical twins in Clooney's family, her pregnancy would make sense as the NHS notes that a "couple is more likely to have twins if there are twins in the woman's family."

If genetics isn't the answer, Clooney's pregnancy could be because twins can happen as a result of a few other factors. According to the NHS, twins are more common in some ethnic groups than others; an older mother has a higher the chance of twins; the number of children you've had may also factor in. Infertility treatments too are among some of the non-genetic factors that can make non-identical twins more likely. As for identical twins, the chances are completely random and only happen when one fertilized embryo splits into two.

Further detective work into whether twins run in Clooney's family will have to wait until after her due date in June, which was reported by Chen on Thursday's episode of the The Talk. While there are a few factors that could explain why the soon-to-be mom is expecting twins, it's almost impossible to know which one it is (or isn't) unless Clooney addresses this herself.