Can you get pregnant while pregnant? Superfetation twins, explained (2024)

FAQs

Can you get pregnant while pregnant? Superfetation twins, explained? ›

Superfetation is rare because, once a person is pregnant, changes in their hormones typically prevent their body from continuing to ovulate, Dr. Greves explained. But if a person does ovulate again—and if that egg becomes fertilized and implants in the uterus—they can carry a double pregnancy.

What can I expect if I have this condition? The odds that you'll have a healthy pregnancy are good. Most confirmed cases of superfetation involve twins that are only a few weeks apart.

One important note: Babies who are conceived via superfetation aren't twins. They're two separate pregnancies. (That's why superfetation shouldn't be confused with superfecundation, which is when two eggs released during the same cycle are fertilized at separate times by two different fathers.

It's a phenomenon called superfetation, and it's extremely rare. According to Dr. Lisa Thiel, a maternal fetal medicine specialist at Spectrum Health in Michigan, there are only a few confirmed cases. “Superfetation is when a second pregnancy implants a few days or weeks after an initial pregnancy occurs.

Yes, You Can Get Pregnant If You're Already Pregnant—Here's How It Happens. While it's incredibly rare, you can theoretically get pregnant while you're pregnant.

Everyone has the same chance of having identical twins: about 1 in 250. Identical twins do not run in families. But there are some factors that make having non-identical twins more likely: non-identical twins are more common in some ethnic groups, with the highest rate among Nigerians and the lowest among Japanese.

Polar body twins.

The bigger one is called the egg and the smaller one is called the “polar body.” Both are fertilized by two separate sperms. This results in twins that look very much alike, but they share about 75% of the DNA, unlike identical twins who share 100% or fraternal twins who share 50% of the DNA.

A double pregnancy, or superfetation, is extremely rare — in fact, there aren't even stats on how often it happens — but it's scientifically possible.

Superfetation can be defined as the ovulation, fertilisation and implantation of a second or additional embryo(s) during pregnancy. The literature review evidences a small discordance in gestational age between dizygotic twins in humans (range: 2-4 weeks; mean ± s.e.m.: 3.3 ± 0.3 weeks).

Your partner may be nervous that their sem*n will reach and hurt the baby during penetrative vagin*l sex, but this isn't possible: Your baby is protected by the placenta, the amniotic sac, and the mucus plug. Most sem*n and sperm that enter a woman's body during sex is discharged the same way it went in.

How rare is superfetation? ›

It's considered extremely rare. There are only a few cases of supposed superfetation in the medical literature. Most cases occurred in woman undergoing fertility treatments such as in vitro fertilization (IVF).

Yes, some types of twins are hereditary, meaning that twins run in families. Heredity on the mother's side ups a couple's odds of conceiving fraternal twins. Fraternal twins are two babies from two different eggs that were released from the ovaries simultaneously.

Superfetation refers to fertilization and implantation of a second conception during pregnancy. Her twins are DZ or fraternal twins, which occurs when two eggs are released at a single ovulation and are fertilized by two different sperm, according to Twins Research Australia.

³. Superfetation refers to the coexistence of 2 or more fetuses of different gestational ages as a result of ovulation, fertilization, and implantation during an existing pregnancy.

Sperm that gets into the vagin* during intercourse will not harm the baby. The majority of it will be eliminated from the body through the vagin*. During a normal, low-risk pregnancy, sex is considered safe. Intercourse during sex has a lot of potential advantages, though specific claims require further research.

Heredity on the father's side, on the other hand, does not increase a couple's odds of having twins. This is true even if his family is packed with multiples.

Yes, it is possible to have twins with different biological fathers. The scientific term for this anomaly is “heteropaternal superfecundation,” and it's super cool.

Identical, or monozygotic, twins occur when a single egg, fertilised by a single sperm, divides and makes two babies. These twins will be the same sex and share the same genes and physical features.