A Case of Superfetation: Arkansas Woman Gets a Double Surprise During Ultrasound

In an incredibly rare series of events, an Arkansas woman discovered she was pregnant with two babies—not twins though. Instead, during an ultrasound her doctor discovered that she had a male fetus growing alongside the first fetus, a female.

Referred to as superfetation by the medical community, this rare medical condition occurs when a woman conceives again while already pregnant. So rare is this medical condition, in fact, that Julia Grovenburg is only the 10^th reported case of the phenomenon.

In Grovenburg’s case, the babies were likely conceived 2 ½ to 3 weeks apart and therefore have different due dates. Unfortunately, there are additional risks with superfetation. For example, it is likely that Julia’s second baby will be born prematurely—a condition linked to lung development problems. However, since the babies were conceived only a few weeks apart, it decreases the likelihood that the second baby will develop additional problems. Julia is focused on the positive anyway and has picked out names for the two babies: the first baby, the girl, will be called Jillian and the second baby, the boy, will be called Hudson.