19-YEAR-OLD WOMAN GIVES BIRTH TO TWINS FATHERED BY TWO DIFFERENT MEN

In Portugal, a 19-year-old mother made a stunning discovery after a paternity test revealed her twin boys have different fathers, a phenomenon called heteropaternal superfecundation, recorded only about twenty times worldwide.

Though born to two men, both babies are healthy and nearly identical, and one father lovingly raises them both, proving family is defined by love, not biology.

The mother, who did not wish to be named, hails from the small Portuguese town of Mineiros in the state of Goias. A DNA examination was conducted by the man that she believed to be both of the boys’ biological father when they were eight months old, reports the Daily Star.

However, the outcome returned as positive for only one of her sons. The woman, who gave birth to the babies in 2021, said: “I remembered that I had had sex with another man and called him to take the test, which was positive.

“I was surprised by the results. I didn’t know this could happen and the babies are very similar.”

The birth certificate still records just one man as the father of both children, with the mother. She added: “He takes care of both of them, helps me a lot and gives them all the necessary support that they need.”

Dr Tulio Jorge Franco has been examining the nature of the unusual pregnancy, which was understood to be only the 20th known case of heteroparental superfecundation. The doctor explained to Portuguese news outlet G1 that such a pregnancy occurs 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 said. “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.”