This may sound a little strange, but it is true. A woman who is already pregnant becomes pregnant for the second time. This condition is called ‘superfetation’ in medical language. Although it is very difficult for this to happen, but 10 such cases have been recorded in medical literature so far. Research shows that this can happen to only one pregnant woman out of millions.

There was a woman in California who was already a surrogate mother to a couple’s child. It was found that she was carrying her own baby in her womb. Another case was seen in Australia where a woman gave birth to ‘twin’ girls who were actually 10 days apart in age because she became pregnant with two babies at the same time. In Bangladesh, a woman with two uteruses first gave birth to one baby normally and then gave birth to twins through cesarean section 26 days later.

But how is this possible? Obstetrician and Gynecologist at Yale University School of Medicine Dr. Mary Jane Minkin (Mary Jane Minkin) about superfetation i.e. double pregnancy and find out how likely it is to happen to you.

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What is superfetation or double pregnancy?

There are different reasons behind a double pregnancy. It can happen when a woman has two uterus, or if she ovulates multiple times at the same time and or the second egg is fertilized.

Dr. Mary Jane says that there have been some cases where women ovulate twice in the same cycle, or continue to ovulate even after becoming pregnant. Study published in the Journal of Reproduction and Sexual Health (ReferenceAccording to , another way of superfetation can be that the woman has two uterus, which is a very rare case.

When a woman becomes pregnant, the body stops ovulating. After the first fertilized egg attaches to the uterine wall, the uterine lining thickens to support that egg, making it difficult for other eggs to repeat the process, so superfetation is not easily possible.

How are Twin Pregnancy and Superfetation different?

During the ultrasound, you may get confused and think that you have a twin pregnancy. This is because two fetuses are seen developing in the woman’s womb, but they are not the same thing.

In a twin pregnancy, there will be a difference in the gestational age because the two babies were conceived at different times (even if it is just a difference of a few days or weeks). Dr. Minkin explains that there may also be a difference in the size of the fetuses, but this is also common in the case of twins. When one twin takes more nutrition than the other, its size increases compared to the other.

How to know if you will give birth to superfetation or twins?

Cases of superfetation are rare, so there are no documented symptoms or signs. Doctors may not be able to tell the difference between superfetation and twin pregnancy unless there is a significant difference in gestational age or size.

Is double pregnancy safe?

Dr Minkin says that not much information is available about this because such cases are very rare. However, there is no need to worry about safety. If the pregnant woman is in good health and gets good prenatal care, both the children can be born healthy. Dr also says that usually, in multiple gestation pregnancy, the children have to be born prematurely, but even then, both the children remain healthy.

Children have to be delivered on the same day

As far as the birth process is concerned, according to a 2017 study, both babies have to be born on the same day, even if they were conceived at different times or developed at different stages.

In such cases, labour may have to be induced or the babies may have to be delivered by caesarean section as it is almost impossible to deliver only one baby at a time. Anyway, this situation is also seen in normal multiple births.

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How can a woman get pregnant again in the middle of pregnancy? Know from the experts what is ‘superfetation’