Conjoined twins Carmen and Lupita Andrade have spent their entire lives navigating a world full of curiosity, questions, and misconceptions. Born in Mexico and raised in Connecticut after moving to the U.S. at age two, the 23-year-old sisters recently went viral after sharing a candid Q&A on TikTok, answering the most common—and often invasive—questions they get about living as conjoined twins. With honesty and humor, they addressed everything from daily routines to love, relationships, and even mortality, giving viewers a rare glimpse into their extraordinary bond and resilience.
Carmen and Lupita are dicephalic parapagus twins, meaning they each have their own head and upper body but share a torso and organs below the waist. They each have one leg and their own arms but share vital internal organs, including their reproductive system. Because of this, some of the questions they receive can be deeply personal or awkward. Still, they’ve chosen to educate others rather than shy away from curiosity. “We’re two separate people,” Carmen emphasized. “We each have our own brains, our own thoughts, and our own identities.”
One of the most fascinating things they discussed is how their bodies and brains function together. While they share a bloodstream, they have separate nervous systems, which means one can sleep while the other stays awake. “If one of us is tired, the other doesn’t have to be,” Carmen explained. “We have two different brains.” Interestingly, they also shared that while Carmen is the one who drives—since she controls the right leg and foot—both of them feel the effects of alcohol if only one drinks because their bloodstream is shared. However, since they each have their own stomach, they get full at different times.
When it comes to legal and personal identification, Carmen and Lupita are recognized as two individuals. They each have their own Social Security numbers, IDs, and legal documents. “People sometimes forget that we’re not one person,” Carmen said, adding that despite their physical connection, their personalities and life choices are entirely separate.
Naturally, questions about relationships come up often, especially since Carmen has been dating her boyfriend, Daniel, for three years. She clarified that her relationship is hers alone—Daniel is dating her, not both sisters. “My boyfriend is only with me,” Carmen said, laughing off assumptions. Lupita, who identifies as asexual, has no interest in romantic relationships but gets along well with Daniel. “It’s funny,” Carmen shared, “when Daniel sleeps over, I fall asleep early, and he stays up talking with Lupita. They’re really close friends.”
The sisters also addressed one of the most sensitive topics—intimacy. Carmen explained that while she and Lupita share a reproductive system, that part of their lives is deeply private. They both suffer from endometriosis and experience pelvic pain, and Carmen shut down inappropriate questions about sex with a quick remark: “So you can do the math on your weird questions.” They also revealed that they cannot have children and are perfectly content with that. “We can’t have kids, we don’t want kids, and my partner feels the same way,” Carmen said.
The pair also opened up about the medical risks they face. Because they share a bloodstream, if one of them were to develop a life-threatening infection like sepsis, it would quickly affect the other. “If one of us gets sepsis, the other would die within hours or days,” Carmen explained. “But we’re not dead, so why do people keep asking that?” she added with humor.
Separation surgery isn’t an option for them because of how many organs they share. Doctors have said that attempting to separate them could result in the death of one or both. Still, Carmen and Lupita choose to focus on living their lives to the fullest. They attend school, go out with friends, and have even learned to walk together with impressive coordination.
Despite spending every moment of their lives side by side, the sisters say they never tire of each other. Like any siblings, they occasionally crave personal space. “Sometimes at the end of the day, we’re exhausted and don’t want to talk,” Carmen said. “That’s when we do our own thing—she’ll listen to music or scroll on her phone while I do schoolwork on my laptop.”
For Carmen and Lupita, being conjoined isn’t a limitation—it’s simply life as they know it. “We’ve been this way since birth, so we don’t miss independence,” Carmen said. “It’s all we’ve ever known.” Their story serves as a powerful reminder that individuality is not defined by physical separation but by the strength of the human spirit and the ability to embrace one’s uniqueness without apology.
