Featured Image Credit: YouTube/OMGstories/TikTok/@abbyandbrittanyhensel
Topics: Reality TV, TV And Film, Health
Jen Thomas
Topics: Reality TV, TV And Film, Health
Conjoined twins Abby and Brittany Hensel have cleared up just how their bodies work - and people can’t believe it.
The twins rose to fame after being given their own TLC TV show, Abby & Brittany, and were featured on the Oprah Winfrey show.
Now both aged 34, the twins were born with a condition called dicephalic parapagus.
They now work as teachers in Minnesota, and Abby married her husband Josh Bowling in 2021.
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Taking to TikTok, the twins shared a video showing how the structure of their conjoined bodies functions, captioning the post "New year, same us".
It explains that the twins have their own distinct upper body systems, along with graphics showing how it works.
The twins have separate heads, brains and spinal cords and two hearts which are part of a shared circulatory system.
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The video reveals that the hearts both pump blood through the same system, so "the actions of one can directly impact the other," and they also have their own set of lungs and individual stomachs.
Despite sharing the circulatory system, their independent brains and spinal cords function separately from the other.
Each twin controls the arm and leg on their respective side, too, and says how their movements are highly coordinated despite their division.
Fans marvelled at the constant co-operation that is required in order to drive a car, type on a keyboard, even pick an object up using both hands.
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The video credits the synchronisation between their brains and nervous systems.
They are conjoined at the pelvis, but their separate stomachs and oesophagus means they experience different levels of hunger and satiety.
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They share a liver, which is elongated and enlarged to meet the needs of both bodies.
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The twins have three kidneys between them too, and had a rudimentary third arm removed at birth.
Fans praised the twins in the comment section.
"This is so amazing how it all works together!" wrote one.
"This is actually really interesting" added another, as one added "thank you for sharing this with us."
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"Thank you! I know you all had questions when growing up about this story on TLC. Very helpful to understand what we were watching then, so fascinating!" a fourth wrote.
Fans had long been curious about how the sisters were attached, and how they make their way through day to day life.
They made headlines again when it was revealed that Abby had married her long-term boyfriend Josh back in 2021.