₦airaland Forum

A 19-year-old woman gave birth to twins and a paternity test later revealed something incredibly rare. Each twin had a different father. She was friends with both fathers, only hours apart, and doctors explained that she had released two eggs that were fertilised separately on the same day. This unusual situation is known as Heteropaternal superfecundation.

How did she find out?

As per the report, the mother had doubts about the father of her kids and to confirm that she did the DNA test using the sample of the person she had thought was the father. After the test, she found that only one of her kids showed positive for the DNA test while the other one did not. "She then remembered that she had sex with a different man on the same day and when this second person took a test, it showed he was the second twin's father," says the report.

This rare event occurs exclusively in dizygotic twins and has an estimated incidence of 1 in 400 twin births in the general population, rising to 2.4% in paternity disputes, according to a 1992 study in Acta Geneticae Medicae et Gemellologiae.

This phenomenon was initially presented by Archer in 1810.

"Although rare in humans, heteropaternal superfecundation is common in dogs, cats and cows," a report by The Guardian says. Two scenarios can be explained in this: First, a woman can release two eggs at the same time. Since sperm can survive for a few days it would be possible to have sex with one father-to-be in advance of the egg being released, and another just after ovulation. In the second scenario, the woman releases two eggs a few days apart but in the same reproductive cycle.


As per the media report, only 20 other such cases have been reported so far.

RubiesBanking:
➜As per the report, the mother had doubts about the father of her kids and to confirm that she did the DNA test using the sample of the person she had thought was the father. After the test, she found that only one of her kids showed positive for the DNA test while the other one did not. "She then remembered that she had sex with a different man on the same day and when this second person took a test, it showed he was the second twin's father," says the report.