Olivia Bowen
TV Personality and Content Creator
Photograph taken by James Rudland
During a routine scan, Olivia Bowen, and her husband Alex, were told one of their twins was no longer developing—a condition Olivia later discovered was Vanishing Twin Syndrome (VTS).
“I didn’t even know there was a name for it,” Olivia recalls. “It happens when you’re carrying multiples and one baby stops developing early on. The tissue is then reabsorbed into the body. There’s often no physical sign—no bleeding, no trauma—which makes it more difficult. It is like they were never there, but they were.”
A hidden loss in early pregnancy
VTS affects up to 15-35% of twin pregnancies,1 though many cases go undetected. With earlier and more frequent scans, the condition is becoming more recognised. “I had a scan at five weeks and saw both babies,” she explains. “Even at 12 weeks, the second baby was visible—smaller, but there. Some people never know, and that’s part of what makes it so hard to process.”
I felt so upset that I had lost
one, but so happy I still had a
healthy baby. It’s overwhelming.
Grieving what was, and what could have been
The emotional toll can be profound, “you begin picturing life with two babies; then that vision is gone. It’s a complicated grief—I felt so upset that I had lost one, but so happy I still had a healthy baby. It’s overwhelming.”
Olivia acknowledges the support available for those experiencing early pregnancy loss. “Charities like Tommy’s and Footprints are incredible, and the NHS offers a certificate of recognition, no matter how early the loss. That kind of validation means a lot.”
She also emphasises the importance of compassionate care. “At one appointment, someone congratulated me on having twins after I had lost one— as I left, I had a panic attack. Another nurse attempted to change my notes so I would not keep reliving my loss. The way that was dealt with, how she was thinking of me the whole time, that changed my experience.”
Breaking the silence
By sharing her story, Olivia hopes to incite conversation. “I never could have imagined how many people this has affected. I’ve had countless messages from women—some in their sixties—who had never told anyone before. The response was unbelievable, and I am so glad people could speak to me.”
[1] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1521693422000487
