Is it possible to get pregnant again while the pregnancy is in progress? As strange as the question may sound, it really makes us think. Let's find out!
A woman in Texas gets pregnant for the second time while pregnant! 30-year-old Cara Winhold became pregnant in March 2021, when an ultrasound report revealed a fetus growing in her uterus. Winhold had a history of miscarriages, so the doctor suggested a check-up after two weeks. And at the next follow-up, they found, not one, but two embryos growing. This is the formation of a new embryo while pregnant - what is it called?
Superfetation :
When a second/new pregnancy occurs during an initial pregnancy it is called superfetation. During pregnancy, another egg is fertilized by sperm and arrives in the womb a few days or weeks later than the first. Superfatting is normal in other animals but rare in humans. So rare that only 10 (versus 14) cases have been reported so far. And most of those women were undergoing IVF treatment.
How does superfetation occur?
A woman becomes pregnant when an egg is fertilized by a sperm. The fertilized egg then travels to the woman's uterus. In superfetation, another completely different egg is fertilized and stays with the previous embryo in the uterus.
1. Ovulation during pregnancy: Ovulation refers to the release of a mature egg from the ovary. Normally during pregnancy, the production of eggs is stopped due to the influence of various hormones. In very rare cases, ovulation occurs during pregnancy.
2. In this case the second egg must be fertilized by the sperm. But when a woman is pregnant, certain hormones cause a mucus plug to form in her cervix. This mucous plug prevents sperm from re-entering the uterus.
3. The fertilized egg must be implanted in the woman's womb. But since she is already pregnant, implantation of the newly fertilized egg in the womb is not normally possible. Because it requires certain hormones that are not released when a woman is already pregnant. Also, there needs to be enough space in the womb for another fetus to grow.
It is extremely rare for all three to occur simultaneously, so only a few cases of superfetation can be found in medical history.
There was a common thing in most of the superfertization cases available so far - In Vitro Fertilization. During this treatment, the fertilized embryo is transferred to a woman's uterus. Superfetation can occur if the woman also ovulates separately and that egg is fertilized by sperm a few weeks after the embryo transfers to her uterus.
In 2005 a woman became pregnant through IVF (twin fetuses). Five months later, triplets were seen at the check-up. The third fetus was also much smaller in size than the previous two.
In the first case, Winhold did not undergo any fertility treatment. Such cases are even rarer.
In the case of superfetation, the children are treated as twins. Because in many cases they are born on the same day at the same time. But in this case, due to premature birth, many problems are seen in the baby (eg breathing problems, low weight, brain hemorrhage, etc.).
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