Conjoined twins Abby and Brittany Hensel have fascinated millions for decades — and now, the question everyone’s been eager to hear answered is finally making headlines: Could these extraordinary sisters become mothers?
Abby and Brittany first captured the world’s attention back in 1996, when, at just six years old, they appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show. Years later, their unique journey was showcased in the TLC reality series Abby & Brittany, which followed their inspiring path from college life to adulthood.
“People have been curious about us since the day we were born, for obvious reasons,” the twins shared early on in the series. “But our parents never let that curiosity hold us back. We were raised to believe we could do anything we set our minds to.”
Choosing to Stay Together
Abby and Brittany share a circulatory system and all organs below their waist — Abby controls the right arm and leg, while Brittany manages the left side. Early on, their parents, Patty and Mike Hensel, faced a heartbreaking decision: whether to pursue separation surgery.
After careful consideration and warnings from doctors that the girls’ chances of survival were slim, the Hensels decided against separation. “How could you choose one child over the other?” Mike Hensel reflected in a 2001 Time magazine interview.
Today, Abby and Brittany are thriving, proving the strength of their unique bond. Recently, news quietly surfaced that Abby married Josh Bowling, a nurse and U.S. Army veteran. Though their wedding was kept private, public records reveal the couple exchanged vows in 2021.
Since then, photos have captured Abby and Josh as a joyful couple, embracing life and exploring the world together.
Yet, the question on everyone’s mind remains: can Abby and Brittany become mothers? Many assume their extraordinary conjoined condition makes pregnancy impossible — but their mother, Patty, offers hopeful insights.
In the documentary Joined For Life, Patty revealed that both twins have expressed a deep desire to become moms one day. She also explained that their shared organs are fully functional, suggesting that motherhood might not be out of reach.
Throughout their teenage years, Abby and Brittany openly discussed their dreams of having children, while carefully protecting their privacy.
In a documentary filmed during their teens, the twins shared their plans for motherhood, as reported by The Telegraph. “Yeah, we are going to be mums one day, but we don’t want to talk about how it’s going to work yet,” Abby said.
Though they share a body, Abby and Brittany have always celebrated their individuality, and their shared dream of motherhood remains a deeply personal and heartfelt goal.
But beyond questions about children, many people are curious about the everyday realities of their lives — including one common wonder: how do the twins eat?
When it comes to meals, Abby and Brittany sometimes eat separately but usually prefer sharing a single meal, taking turns eating one at a time. Each twin has her own digestive system and stomach, but since they share a bladder and excretory system, coordinating mealtimes this way is simpler.
A Private Side of Life
Despite enormous public interest, Abby and Brittany have never openly discussed their intimate life.
Because the twins share one set of genitals, any physical sensation in that area is felt by both, explained Alice Dreger, a professor of clinical medical humanities and bioethics at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, in The Atlantic.
As for whether both experience orgasm simultaneously, Dreger admitted, “We don’t know.”
She added that sensation varies greatly between twins in different parts of the body, making it “hard to guess how any conjoinment will turn out in practice.”
Some speculate that dicephalus twins — those with two heads sharing one body — might share orgasms due to having the same sexual organs, nerves, muscles, and blood vessels.
Regarding kissing, Dreger mused, “The biology geek in me thinks the happy hormones from a good kiss probably reach both brains. But the human side of me wonders if when your sister gets kissed and you don’t, the unhappy hormones might be standing at the gate.”
Based on her research, Dreger believes conjoined twins likely have less sex than average — partly because finding a partner is more challenging, and possibly because they may not rely on romantic partners to fulfill sexual needs as much as most people do.
As Abby begins this new chapter with her husband, fans continue to wonder what the future holds. Will motherhood be part of their incredible journey? For now, Abby and Brittany remain focused on living life on their own terms — inspiring the world every step of the way.