What is Superfetation, Its Causes and Complication?

Earlier this week, I came across an article online talking about how a woman named Rebecca Roberts found out she was pregnant while pregnant.

Sounds confusing, right?

I read that Rebecca Roberts and her partner Rhys Weaver had struggled with infertility for more than a year.

After the usage of a fertility drug she got from a fertility clinic in Bath, England, she got pregnant.

Rebecca Roberts was said to have gotten pregnant in February 2020.

At her 12th week of being pregnant, she found out during her scan session that there was a second baby.

She previously had two (2) scans (at her 7th & 10th week) and none of these revealed the second baby.

This brings us to the word “SUPERFETATION“.

What Is Superfetation 

Superfetation describes a second pregnancy that occurs during a current pregnancy in a woman.

It occurs when another egg is fertilized by the sperm and deposited in the womb after the first one that resulted in the first pregnancy.

Superfetation is an answer to the question, Can I get pregnant while pregnant”.

Is Superfetation Possible In Humans  

There is a very slight chance for Superfetation to occur in humans; the few cases recorded were mostly as a result of taking very potent fertility drugs before the first pregnancy occurred or for women that underwent In Vitro Fertilization (IVF).

How Many Cases of Superfetation In Humans Has Been Recorded

Superfetation is very rare among humans.

In 2017, Beth Timmins, a reporter for Independent (a UK online newspaper) reported that only 19 cases have been documented all over the world.

Complications Associated With Superfetation 

Superfetation comes with risk.

Because the egg (ovum) that produced a foetus and will later result in a baby was formed at a time different from the first baby.

Now, this will automatically make the babies grow at different pregnancy stage, one might be a month old and the other 2 months old.

Also have in mind that both babies might not be born at the same time.

While the first baby is ready to be born the other might not be and this might expose the other baby to the risk of being born prematurely.

Premature babies are more likely to have persistent health issues that may require regular hospital care.

What Is Superfecundation

Superfecundation is a situation that occurs when the egg (ovum) of twins are fertilized by the sperm from different men.

This simply means the babies are twins but with two (2) different fathers (half-siblings).

Originally posted on April 6, 2021 @ 3:15 pm