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A woman in England got pregnant when she was already pregnant, eventually giving birth to rare twins conceived three weeks apart, according to recent press reports.
Typically, when a woman becomes pregnant, her body triggers several biological processes aimed at preventing a concurrent pregnancy, including the release of hormones to stop ovulation. But in rare cases, a pregnant woman could continue to ovulate or release an egg, and that egg could then be fertilized by the sperm and implanted in the uterus, Previously reported Live Science. This rare phenomenon, in which two fertilized eggs are implanted in the uterus at different times, is known as “superfeation”.
In this new case, the twins were conceived three weeks apart, according to Good Morning America. The mother, Rebecca Roberts, was 39 and first became pregnant last year after trying to conceive for several years and taking fertility drugs.
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At 12 weeks gestation, doctors found a second baby on an ultrasound that was three weeks different in size from the first baby. Because superficiality is so rare, at first, Roberts’ doctors couldn’t explain the difference in height between the two babies.
“My first reaction was how I missed the second twin,” Dr David Walker, OB-GYN at Royal United Hospital in Bath, told Good Morning America. “And as a result of that [I] was slightly relieved that it wasn’t my mistake, but a truly extraordinary pregnancy. “
Doctors diagnosed Roberts with a superficiality and told him the youngest baby might not survive. When Roberts was 33 weeks pregnant last September, doctors induced labor because the young twin, Rosalie, stopped growing properly due to a problem with the umbilical cord.
The older twin, Noah, stayed in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) for three weeks, and Rosalie stayed for 95 days. Both infants are now home and healthy.
“When we put them next to each other, it’s like they instantly know – and they reach out and touch their faces, and that’s just the prettiest thing,” Roberts told Good. Morning America. “The twins have an incredible bond anyway, but the story between these two, when they’re old enough to find out, they’ll feel even more special.”
It is not known how many cases of superficiality occur; Many cases may go undetected because the fetuses are so close in age, and therefore in size, that they are considered ordinary twins, according to the Live Science report. The best-known cases of superficiality concern patients who have used assisted reproduction techniques such as in vitro fertilization, according to Healthline.
Yet, it is believed that the phenomenon is extremely rare, as three separate and unlikely events must take place for it to occur: ovulation (which is usually stopped by pregnancy hormones), fertilization (which is usually stopped at early pregnancy during a “” forms to prevent sperm from passing through the cervix) and implantation (which requires sufficient space for another embryo in the uterus, as well as hormones that do not would not normally be released once someone is already pregnant), according to Healthline. But in other animals – like fish, hares, and badgers – superficiality is actually common.
Originally posted on Live Science.
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