The pregnancy phase is exciting as well as an anxious period for most first-time mothers because there is always a medical risk associated with it. The struggle of getting pregnant or the experiences during pregnancy vary from woman to woman. Some women conceive incredibly easily, while some have to struggle long and are compelled to seek various alternatives. In this article, we talk about a medical complication called “superfoetation”.

What is Superfoetation?

Superfoetation is the event that occurs when more than one foetus gets conceived in the womb. And each foetus implants individually in the womb and grow together. This phenomenon is extremely prevalent in animals but equally rare among humans.

Can one get pregnant while one is already pregnant? Is it because of superfoetation phenomenon?

This is true that women can get pregnant while she is already pregnant as it is already observed in few cases.

And it is possible due to the remarkable phenomenon of ‘superfoetation’ because it occurs when a woman’s egg is fertilised by a sperm, while another fertilised egg is already growing in the womb.

As per a gynecologist, it is a rare phenomenon to observe because “Pregnancy hormones usually shut down a woman’s system, making it impossible for her to ovulate during her pregnancy.”

Why does superfoetation happen?

Though there is no specific cause of its happening but some experts believe that it occurs when implantation of the first embryo is delayed preventing a spike in hormones.

As per researchers, there may be many more case with twins that have been born, but only 10 cases of the happening of superfoetation have found yet.

Is superfoetation different from usual twins?

Superfoetation is different from an ordinary twin pregnancy. In the twin pregnancy, multiple ova are released in a single menstrual cycle which are then fertilised. Whereas, superfoetation happens when two eggs pertaining to different menstrual cycles are fertilised and are developing in the uterus. There is also a  difference in the maturity of these foetuses as they have been fertilised on different days or weeks.

What are risks associated with superfoetation?

In the case of superfoetation, there are chances that the younger foetus could also be delivered along with the older foetus which is risky. Because the younger baby will born premature and all the risks of a premature baby are applicable.

Real Life Superfoetation case of a couple in Arkansas, USA –

Julia ­Grovenburg and her husband Todd were trying to have a baby and they conceived one. However, after just two and a half weeks of pregnancy, they conceived again! What are the odds!

Julia being the first-time mum was nervous and anxious because there was no one to answer her queries as it was a rarest of rare case.

But at the end, everything worked out just fine and Julia was able to give birth to two healthy babies, Jillian and Hudson, well before their due dates by ­caesarean.

As of now only 11 women have ever reported to get pregnant while already pregnant, a condition eventually identified as ‘superfoetation’, meaning two babies are conceived at different times, born on the same day yet – medically speaking – are not considered twins.