Humans CAN have two pregnancies at once.

[Christina Noraas]

After reading an abundant of threads and posts where members are talking about how chinchillas can have two pregnancies at once because they have a horned uterus (I hope I got that right), and saying in contrast that humans are unable to have two pregnancies at once; these statements are indeed wrong.

I posted a link on the "accidental breeding" thread, but I was thinking that many people may not see it and keep thinking that it's impossible for humans to have a double pregnancy.

Any who, it's called superfetaltion (spelling error?); there was a woman from Arkansas who was already about 3 weeks pregnant, and then found out that there was another fetus growing next to it, while at first they thought it was a twin, it was not. The second fetus was actually 2 weeks younger than the first.

This is the article:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article6849180.ece

As I also stated on the other thread that if you type in 'Arkansas Pregnant Woman Pregnant Again' you should get a good variety of articles/videos and such.

My friend and I found this story on Yahoo! around this time last year and it finally clicked, 'Hey, I've heard about humans having two pregnancies'

So here ya go.

 

[3CsMommy]

Yes, this does happen, though very rarely. Generally the hormones that signal a new pregnancy put a temporary stop to ovulation, but in every few hundred thousand pregnancies, they don't.

I also saw an episode of something on TLC/Similar channel where a woman had been turned down for child support for her son b/c while he matched the father's DNA, he didn't match hers in spite of her *clearly* having given birth to him. Turns out she had chimerism, a mutation where the DNA of two different people is present in one person. She has 2 uteri and sets of ovaries; her first son was from the 'unexplained' set of reproductive organs, but her second son was from the one w/ the same blood type and DNA as the rest of her body. Freaked me the heck out!

 

[starleomach]

The difference here is ---I think you missed the point in the chinchillas thread---Is is is a common occurance in chinchillas. This is not so common in people in people it is a freak occurance in chinchillas they can carry and deliver two litters seperatly which can be draining on the body. In people this happend rarely in chinchillas frequently. They have a double uterine horn.

 

[Sycamore Chins]

Here is the issue, In my naivete I too spread the word about how big a deal it is that chinchillas have two uterine horns, to be stopped in my tracks by my vet who said "umm...almost ALL ANIMALS HAVE TWO UTERINE HORNS" (minus humans and maybe a few others).

I'm not sure who spread that tidbit, and perhaps it was an issue of "telephone", but hopefully we can rectify the situation.

The two uterine horns are NOT the defining characteristic - It's the fact that they have two CERVIXES!!!

This is what can lead to two separate pregnancies - the cervix usually produces a plug when the fetus(es) are developing. This is also what can cause problems during labor when the kits haven't had driving lessons to know that they need to merge and instead just sit there honking their horns at each other!

 

[Christina Noraas]

I understand that it's very unlikely for this to happen to humans, I'm just putting out there however it is possible even if the chances are slim, because from what I gathered a lot of people think it's impossible. Plus I just thought it was an interesting tid bit of information.

Sorry, if I got the terms wrong on how chinchillas get double pregnancies; I tried.

 

[minrex]

I understand that it's very unlikely for this to happen to humans, I'm just putting out there however it is possible even if the chances are slim, because from what I gathered a lot of people think it's impossible. Plus I just thought it was an interesting tid bit of information.

Sorry, if I got the terms wrong on how chinchillas get double pregnancies; I tried.

Just about ANYthing is "possible".

 

[Sycamore Chins]

Sorry, if I got the terms wrong on how chinchillas get double pregnancies; I tried.

It's not just you! I have seen and heard it over and over again! Spread the word! haha

 

[PetoftheDay]

I grew up across the street from "twins" who were born the same day, but conceived a month apart - one was close to full-term, the other was a premie, but big enough to survive. Developmentally, the doctors figured out it must have been two different dates of conception, rare but not unheard of. They had the same parents, a long-married couple, but it was kind of funny because one of them was brunette and one blonde, so strangers sometimes mistook the brown-haired girl and I for being the twins when we were all kids, and the blonde for being the neighbor, as she and I both were of similar height and build, and had names that started with K, and her twin was shorter, with blonde curls and her name started with a "T."