A teenage mother in the small Brazilian city of Mineiros says she gave birth to a set of twins who are fathered by different men.
The woman, who didn’t want her name revealed, said when the twins were eight months old she took a DNA test with the man she thought was their father but, unfortunately, only one baby came back as a positive match.
“I remembered that I had had sex with another man and called him to take the test, which was positive,” the woman said. “I was surprised by the results. I didn’t know this could happen and the babies are very similar.”
The woman’s doctor said only around 20 other cases similar to this have occurred and are documented worldwide.
The extremely rare phenomenon called heteroparental superfecundation sees a woman give birth to twins from two different fathers.
Speaking to Brazilian broadcaster Globo, Dr Tulio Jorge Franco explained: “It is possible to happen when two eggs from the same mother are fertilised by different men. The babies share the mother’s genetic material, but they grow in different placentas.”
He added: “The pregnancy was super smooth, without any complications. The boys were born healthy and have never had health problems.
“It’s extremely rare. It happens once in a million. I never imagined that I would see such a case in my life.”
One of the men is reportedly legally registered as both of the children’s father and helps to take care of them.
