Fans were left stunned when conjoined twins Abby and Brittany Hensel revealed how their bodies are really connected
Abby and Brittany Hensel, conjoined twins who rose to fame on reality TV decades ago, have finally revealed how their partially shared bodies work.
The twins, 34, were born with dicephalic parapagus, in which two heads are attached to one body, with each twin having her own brain, heart and other organs.
Their two brains and nervous systems are perfectly matched. They can write, eat, run and drive, acting both independently and in perfect synchrony.
She shared a video explanation with their 300,000 TikTok followers, showing off the structure of their joined bodies, leaving fans stunned.
They have unique upper body parts – two brains, two spinal cords and two hearts – that are part of the same overall system.
For example, their two hearts are part of a shared circulatory system that includes the same veins and arteries, meaning that if one heart is not functioning properly, it can affect blood flow and pressure in the other heart. If one heart were to fail, the other heart would have to compensate for changes in circulation, which could put additional strain on the heart.
Each twin controls the arm and leg on her respective side, with Abby controlling the right side and Brittany the left.
Despite this division, their movements are highly coordinated thanks to the remarkable cooperation between their different brains and nervous systems.
Each twin also has two lungs, two esophagus, two stomachs, and a single shared liver and small intestine.
Brittany and Abby, pictured at Abby’s wedding, have different upper bodies with two brains, two hearts and four lungs. Each twin has their own digestive system and stomach, so if one twin is hungry, the other may not
The twins have unique upper body parts – two brains, two spinal cords and two hearts – that are part of the same overall system
The twins, now teachers in Minnesota, first attracted national attention when they appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show in 1996 when they were six.
The Hensel twins are the rarest conjoined twins, resulting from the failure of a single fertilized egg in the uterus to separate completely.
Only one in 40,000 twins are born connected in some way, and only one percent of those survive the first year.
They were able to play basketball and softball at school and got a driver’s license when they were sixteen. Abby operates the pedals, Brittany the indicators, and they both steer.
Although they have two separate brains, they are not completely isolated from each other.
The shared spinal cord allows their nervous systems to communicate, allowing their separate brains to exchange information and coordinate the body’s movements.
The narrator in the video they posted said, “For activities that require both arms, such as holding objects, typing on a keyboard, or driving a car, they rely on constant collaboration and communication.
‘They can perform these tasks smoothly thanks to the remarkable synchronization between their two brains and nervous systems.’
Each twin has two lungs (two partially fused), two stomachs, two gallbladders, three kidneys, one liver, one small intestine, one large intestine, one pelvis, one bladder, one set of reproductive organs
Because they have separate stomachs, the twins have different appetites. Just because Abby is hungry doesn’t necessarily mean Brittany is too
Their two stomachs and esophagus work independently of each other, so each twin’s appetite differs.
The food they eat travels through each twin’s esophagus and enters each stomach, delivering nutrients to the large and small intestines.
They share a slightly elongated liver that is larger than average to meet the needs of both bodies, which meet at the navel.
The twins have one pair of reproductive organs, but three kidneys: one on Abby’s side and two on Brittany’s. This adaptation allows the kidneys to effectively filter waste products from the blood, despite a shared urinary system.
The twins had a third arm removed when they were babies and have generally led normal lives.
Abby said in 2007, “We never wish we were divorced because then we wouldn’t be able to do the things we do now – like play softball, run track and play sports.”
Abby married nurse and Army veteran Joshua Bowling in 2021, and both women want to be mothers.
Abby and Brittany said in 2007 that they never wanted to be separated “because we wouldn’t be able to do the things we do now – like play softball, run track and play sports.”
Their mother said in a documentary: ‘(It) is probably something that could work, because those organs do work for them.’
Abby is now stepmother to Joshua’s daughter Isabella, but has sparked her own pregnancy rumors after posting a video with a series of ‘breaking news’ headlines.
The final headline revealed: “Married with baby on the way.”
However, the twins have not confirmed that they are pregnant.