Carmen and Lupita Andrade, 21, born in Mecixo, answered a series of questions in an Ask Me Anything YouTube video about their intimacy, hobbies and education, the “inappropriate” comments they receive and their future marital plans.
The girls, who have lived in Connecticut since they were two years old, are attached along their chest walls to their pelvises, where their spines meet.
They have two arms, but only one leg each, with Carmen controlling the right leg and Lupita, the left.
The sisters, who were expected to survive for just three days after their birth in 2002, have been told that their separation could lead to death or years of intensive care.
So, they chose to stay together and have deftly adjusted to living with each other – including how to navigate life now that Carmen has a boyfriend.
Carmen (left) and Lupita Andrade, 21, of Connecticut, are attached along their chest walls to their pelvis, where their spines meet
Lupita (left) and Carmen said they don’t see themselves as disabled and believe disability is just a state of mind
The date was a “learning process for everyone,” according to Carmen, who has been dating her current boyfriend for “a year and a half,” though she did not name him or share a photo.
She told the cameras her partner is like a close friend of hers and that her new relationship “wasn’t intimate in that way, and she’s okay with that.”
The couple met on the dating app Hinge, which aims to match compatible people for a serious relationship.
Carmen said she was “transparent” about her status but admitted she found it “really awkward” to show she was a twin on her profile.
Carmen (wearing glasses) and Lupita (wearing a headband) spoke to the cameras about their hobbies, education and relationships
Shortly after their birth, doctors thought the couple would only live for three days: Photo: The girls as children with model Tyra Banks
Lupita’s twin, however, sees dating very differently after confessing to being ‘asexual and scented’.
Carmen said: “Obviously I would be transparent about everything… It was a learning process for everyone. Obviously we had to have a conversation about what boundaries are okay and what aren’t.’
The 21-year-old poked fun at her sister for being a bad wingwoman, which Lupita said “makes fun of them both”.
The girls have two arms but only one leg, with Carmen controlling the right leg and Lupita, the left
Carmen (pictured left) said dating was “a learning curve for everyone, but she found a boyfriend through the Hinge mobile app and has been dating him for a year and a half.”
Carmen said marriage wasn’t at the forefront of her mind because she’s “only 21”, but admitted she’d rather be “life partners than actual marriage”.
What are conjoined twins?
Conjoined twins occur when siblings have their skin or internal organs fused. It affects about one in 200,000 live births. Conjoined twins are caused by a fertilized egg that begins to split into two embryos a few weeks after conception, but the process stops before completion. The most common type is twins conjoined at the chest or abdomen. The success of separation surgery depends on where the twins join. Doctors can only tell which organs siblings share, and therefore plan surgery, after they are born. Umbilical cord twins are joined near the navel and often share a liver, but generally do not share a heart. Sources: Mayo Clinic and University of Maryland Medical Center The two claimed they were inappropriately “fetishized” by the idea of someone “having sex with two people at the same time”. Both do not see themselves as disabled – having admitted that it is “only a disability if you make it a disability”. When Lupita and Carmen were little, they spent years in physical therapy learning how to sit up and working together to use their legs, and when they were four they took their first steps together. Doctors considered separating them, but concluded it couldn’t be done safely because they shared too many vital organs and their lower spines. When previously asked if they ever want to divorce, they both said no because even if the surgery went well, they would have years of physical therapy ahead of them. “And then there’s the whole psychological situation because we’re used to being together,” Carmen said. “I don’t think there would be any point.” When talks of separation surgery began, Lupita and Carmen asked their mother, “Why do you want to cut us in half?” However, Lupita suffers from scoliosis (a sideways curvature of the spine), which constricts her lungs. Doctors say she may need surgery to remove part of her spine or alternatively start using an oxygen tank. While scoliosis surgery can be a relatively simple procedure, this is not the case with conjoined twins. There is a high risk of death or brain damage for Lupita.
