14 DAY TRIAL // According to media reports, a Tunisian teacher is about to break OctoMom's record of octuplets, as she is reportedly pregnant with 12 babies. The news came as a shock to everyone, and, if it verifies, it could be that this number is among the highest ever recorded in case of an in-vitro fertilization (IVF) procedure. The same reports indicate that the woman, who is in her 30s, is expecting six girls and six boys, all at once, the Daily Mail informs.
The outlet informs that the woman resorted to IVF methods of getting pregnant because she suffered two miscarriages over the past two years and she really wanted to have children. Multiple fertilizations are common when this type of fertilization is involved, but such a high number of babies is very rare, experts say, adding that there are serious dangers involved with such a pregnancy.
Health specialists in the United Kingdom say that there is less than a one-in-100 chance that even a single baby of the Tunisian woman will survive, as the human body is simply not designed for this type of pregnancy. The media, however, reports that the lady appears to be in good condition and in high spirits, and quotes her as saying that she wants to hug all her babies soon, and show them her love.
“This is an absolute miracle, and we all feel blessed after struggling so hard to have children,” the woman reportedly said, while committed to a hospital in the city of Gafsa, which is located some 250 miles South of the capital Tunis. “In the beginning, we thought that my wife would give birth to twins, but more fetuses were discovered. Our joy was increased with the growing number. The medical team told us that my wife would give birth naturally,” the woman's husband added, quoted by the local Assabah newspaper.
“It is certainly possible to carry 12 babies but not for long. The problem is the capacity of the uterus. This woman is going to be enormous by 20 weeks. And when the uterus goes into labor there is nothing you can do about it. The youngest that babies have survived is at 22 to 23 weeks. They need very intensive nursing and the majority have permanent neurological damage,” Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists fellow Peter Bowen-Simpkins explained.
“You’d need a very good intensive pediatric unit to cope with this. We couldn’t do it in this country, we don’t have a unit with 12 intensive care cots. I don’t like to dampen her enthusiasm but the chances are she will deliver at 20 weeks. I wouldn’t even give her a one in 100 chance of even one surviving. It’s frightening,” the expert added.