I'm going to feel really stupid if I'm wrong, because this seems so impossible. Is it possible for a woman to be pregnant with twins and each one has a different father? I don't think so, but my grandmother insists it is possible. Who is right?
2007-07-12 15:33:17 · 25 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Pregnancy
Huh, I didn't know this.
And yes, I know they couldn't REALLY be twins, but it's obvious what I'm trying to say.
2007-07-12 16:28:14 · update #1
Not only is it possible for fraternal twins to have different fathers, it’s on the medical record books. This official medical term for this phenomenon is heteropaternal superfecundation.
The classic case was recorded in 1810 by John Archer, the first doctor to receive a medical degree in the U.S. According to Dr. Archer, a white woman who had sex with a black man and a white man within a short time of each other subsequently gave birth to twins—one white, one mulatto. Other cases have been reported since. And you thought this only happened with puppies?
Sperm cells can live inside a woman’s body for four to five days. Once ovulation occurs, the egg remains viable for another 12 to 48 hours before it begins to disintegrate; thus, the fertile period can span five to seven days.
Dr. Lawrence B. Werlin, founder and director of the Coastal Fertility Medical Center in Irvine, Calif., explains, “If the twins are fraternal, where two eggs (ova) are fertilized by two sperm and produce two genetically unique children, then one baby could be slightly older than the other. In addition, if a woman ovulates, releases two eggs and has intercourse with two different men, the eggs could be fertilized by both, resulting in fraternal twins with distinctive fathers.”
Historically, superfecundation has been difficult to prove, due to the crudeness of the blood-type testing methods. However, in 1978, Dr. Paul Terasaki of the UCLA School of Medicine reported in the New England Journal of Medicine that he and his colleagues had conclusively established a case of superfecundation using a sophisticated procedure called tissue HLA (or human leukocyte antigen) testing. Potential paternity-suit litigants, take note: This technique can also be applied to more conventional cases.
2007-07-12 15:37:38 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
Your grandmother is right.
Fraternal twins are the result of two eggs being released and being fertilized by two different sperm. If the sperm from two men are present, then the potential is there for each egg to be fertilized by the sperm from a different man.
2007-07-12 22:38:21 · answer #2 · answered by StayAtHomeMomOnTheGo 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
It has happened. You do not need to be in bed with the two fathers at the same time. It can be even a day or two apart.
2007-07-12 22:43:47 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
It is definately possible, it happens in the animal kingdom all the time... and since we are a part of the animal kingdom (maybe some more than others, but all of us none the less hehe) then it is biologically possible. Hopefully though, a woman is not going to subject herself and her future children to such self-diminishing behavior. :)
2007-07-12 22:41:43 · answer #4 · answered by ksta72 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
yes it can happen but it's very very uncommon. It happens when you have sex with two people during ovulation and have two or more eggs fertilized by a different male. The eggs then must make it into the uterus and implant. Very rare.
2007-07-12 22:40:24 · answer #5 · answered by momofthreemiracles 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Yes it is... as long as you have periods you can get pregnant.... even if you are already pregnant. My aunt got pregnant with her 5th child and 2 months into her pregnancy got pregnant again with her 6th! There were born at the same time, but concieved 2 months apart! They have the same father, but as you can see thats how they would have different fathers. I would never have believed it either.... but it happens.
2007-07-12 22:38:00 · answer #6 · answered by Kishauna_P 3 · 1⤊ 2⤋
The only way it could be possible is if you had sex with 2 men at the same time. Obviously 2 eggs would need to be present. So it is possible, however EXTREMELY unlikely.
2007-07-12 22:36:32 · answer #7 · answered by Dani 5 · 1⤊ 2⤋
OK I know it sounds impossible however, I saw a special on this topic on TV an it's possible!
2007-07-12 22:46:31 · answer #8 · answered by Rose 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
This has been documented .... twice .... i think. One story is in Riply's believe it or Not.
The lady gave birth to one caucasion baby and one mixed baby. An egg was fertilized after she was already pregnant with one child. she said she had sex w/ 2 different men, 3 days apart.
2007-07-12 22:37:55 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
YES, it is! I saw it on Maury and they were twins with different dads. Crazy, but it happened! Hope thats not your case!
2007-07-12 22:38:55 · answer #10 · answered by GavinandGabesmommy 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋