‘Vanishing twin syndrome’ explained as Love Island star Olivia Bowen opens up about ‘shocking’ experience

Warning: This article contains discussion of baby loss which some readers may find distressing.

Love island star Olivia Bowen is sharing the lasting impact of vanishing twin syndrome (VTS).

Olivia and her husband Alex Bowen, who finished as runners-up on the 2016 series before announcing their engagement a year later, were expecting twins.

Tragically, when Olivia was around nine weeks pregnant, she lost one of her babies in the womb. er daughter, whom they named Sienna, continued growing but the other baby had effectively vanished.

The couple later discovered that Olivia had gone through something known as 'vanishing twin syndrome', which occurs when one embryo in a multiple pregnancy stops developing and is either absorbed by the mother's body or by the surviving twin.

The 32-year-old recently opened up about her loss on the 'We Need To Talk' podcast with Paul C Brunson.

"So vanishing twin syndrome is something I'd never heard of before and a lot of people hadn't," she said. "I think that was the most shocking thing about it. After it happened I started to Google it and look into it and it's a really common thing.

"What happens is you have a twin pregnancy and one of the babies for whatever reason doesn't survive. You don't lose it. So, it's not like a miscarriage where sometimes you bleed and you have pain. It quite literally vanishes. So in my case, we lost the baby at around nine weeks but Sienna was absolutely fine. She was thriving. But the other baby had no heartbeat "

She continued: "It was still in there until I was 19 weeks and then it disappeared into my body."

Olivia gave birth to Sienna in 2025, having had her first child back in 2022.

Olivia Bowen is raising awareness (Olivia Bowen/Instagram)

Olivia still had to process the heartbreak of losing her other child, something which was a very strange feeling for her as she continued to see the baby in later scans.

"It's the most weird thing to get your head around because you're so happy you've got that little baby, like, thriving in there growing perfectly and then you see the baby that's passed is still in there every scan you have.

"The one thing that made all the difference is talking about it publicly.

"The amount of women I connected to and learned from it felt like being wrapped up by people that had had the same experience. I feel incredibly lucky that people trust me with their stories."

Dr Ravina Bhanot, founder of The One, explained to Tyla that Vanishing Twin Syndrome (VTS) is a 'specific type of early miscarriage' that occurs in a a multi-fetal pregnancy, when one embryo stops developing. The non-viable tissue is then gradually broken down and reabsorbed by the mother’s uterine lining, the placenta or the surviving twin.

Unlike a singleton pregnancy (one baby), where the pregnancy cannot continue and the tissue is expelled, a twin pregnancy can continue if the remaining baby is healthy. As Dr Bhanot explains, "The body's hormonal environment signals the pregnancy to continue rather than triggering a miscarriage. The non-viable fetal sac remains in place and is reabsorbed over several weeks, which means it can often still be seen on early sequential scans as it slowly shrinks."

She says one of the biggest misconceptions surrounding VTS is that the mother did something to cause it. "Like many early miscarriages, VTS is usually the result of chromosomal or genetic abnormalities that occurred during conception, completely out of anyone's control."

The couple shared their baby news with fans (Olivia Bowen/Instagram)

Studies suggest VTS occurs in around 15% to 35% of twin pregnancies, although many people may never realise they have experienced it. Dr Bhanot says this is because the loss often happens early in the first trimester. "Without an ultra-early scan (before 8 to 10 weeks), the tissue is fully absorbed by the time a standard 12-week scan occurs, meaning it can be missed. As there isn't standard bleeding as in a miscarriage or severe cramping, it can be missed."

In most cases, the surviving baby develops normally and the pregnancy continues as a singleton pregnancy. However, Dr Bhanot says it may be classified as slightly higher risk, particularly if the twins shared a placenta, as this can increase the likelihood of lower birth weight or preterm delivery.

Alongside the physical aspects of the condition, VTS can also have a significant emotional impact on parents. Dr Bhanot recommends seeking specialist support from organisations including Tommy's, Footprints Baby Loss and Sands for those struggling with the loss.

If you need support and advice following a pregnancy loss, you can contact the Tommy’s team at [email protected]. You can also call them for free on 0800 014 7800, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.