I'm going to post some links to some basic information about what TTTS is at the bottom of this post but here's my super not a doctor explanation. Please don't take anything I say or do for medical advice! I have neither the patience or education for anything like that.
Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome (TTTS) is a disease of the placenta. Our babies are monochorionic diamniotic twins (mo/di) meaning they have one outer sack and two inner amniotic sacks. My boys are healthy and perfect but they share one placenta. This is common for identical twins but a small percentage develop TTTS. I think of it like tree roots. Veins and arteries grow from the umbilical cord into the placenta like a tree putting down roots. In TTTS some of those roots meet roots from the other baby and they grow into one vein or artery. Blood can then flow directly from one baby to another. Sometimes it's an even flow in each direction and things are great. Sometimes the flow of blood only goes one direction and then you have a donor twin and a recipient twin.
The donor twin ends up with less amniotic fluid and the recipient ends up with too much. The donor has too little blood and nutrients while the recipient has too many. This puts stress on both babies in different ways and can lead to death of one or both fetuses.
In our twins the donor twin is Baby 1 who is stuck at the bottom of my belly in a much smaller amniotic sack that gives him very little room to move. Baby 2 is the recipient floating around the top in a big ole bouncy house full of fluid. My particular perinatologist (or MFM) office doesn't call them A & B like most people have heard. #1 is always the one closer to the exit.
I hope that helps you understand the disease a little better! Please don't hesitate to comment with questions and I can try to find answers for you. Hopefully these links can shed a little more light for those of you that want more info.
http://tttsfoundation.org/
http://childrens.memorialhermann.org/uploadedFiles/_Library_Files/Childrens/TTTS%20FactSheet%2012-24-13.pdf
https://www.cincinnatichildrens.org/service/f/fetal-care/conditions/twin-twin-transfusion-syndrome
http://www.texaschildrens.org/twin-twin-transfusion-syndrome-ttts
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