Woman pregnant with 12 babies?

[Jenefer3]

TUNIS, Tunisia — Tunisian authorities are investigating a claim that a woman in Tunisia is pregnant with 12 babies.

French and British media reported the woman will soon give birth to six girls and six boys.

A Health Ministry official in Tunisia said Tuesday the claim seemed doubtful and that the woman — who has not been identified — has refused to see a doctor for an ultrasound.

Another Health Ministry official said a team was sent to the southern town of Gafsa to try to meet the woman.

The officials, not authorized to speak publicly about the case, asked not to be named.

http://www.comcast.net/articles/news-world-africa/20090818/AF.Tunisia.Pregnancy.Claim/

I hope it's just a case of her wanting some attention and that there really aren't 12 babies about to be born.

[gmyers]

How in the world can you carry twelve babies. Seems like it would kill the woman or make the babies limbs be deformed because they don't have room to move and will be trapped in one position too long. Seems like the circulation would be cut off to them. Or they'd be strangled with so many umbilical cords.

[ElleGee]

I got a tweet from breaking news saying that some circles doubt the claim b/c she never recieved an ultra sound. So I am not banking on this one just yet..

[krisharry]

Good grief, I could barely handle one at a time in there. If it is true, what shall they call her-we had octomom-what is the proper term for 12-dozenof mom., cheaper by the dozen?

[littlebuggy]

Tunisian woman who claimed to be expecting 12 babies exposed as a fraud
A Tunisian woman who claimed she was on the verge of having a world record breaking 12 babies is in hiding after being exposed as a fraud.

By Peter Allen in Paris
Published: 9:55AM BST 19 Aug 2009

The adventures of 'Octomum' have held the American public in thrall since the octuplets were born by Caesarian section Photo: AP
Known only as AF, the 34-year-old woman told medics in her home town of Gafsa that she was due to give birth to duodecaplets later this month.

But an investigation by the country's health ministry has revealed that she has "psychological problems and is unlikely even to be pregnant".

A spokesman in Tunis, the capital, added: "Our staff interviewed her at length, but even her pregnancy appears to be in her imagination.

"She's claiming to be nine months pregnant with six boys and six girls, but there's absolute nothing about her appearance which indicates this.

"The woman has refused point blank to undergo a medical examination. Now we can't even contact her. She's gone into hiding.'

A doctor at No'man al Adab Hospital, the only one in the town of Gafsa, confirmed that the woman had never been in their care, and had "undoubtedly" made the whole thing up.

"It may be that she's trying to make money from television," he said. "These kind of people can make thousands from appearing on programmes. Perhaps that's what motivated her."

The woman's husband, a man in his 40s described only as Marwan, is known to have hired a lawyer to deal with media enquiries.

"Even he's gone missing now," said the doctor. "There's something very suspicious going on, and we wouldn't be surprised if this matter ended up with the police."

Experts had cast doubt on the woman's claims earlier this week. Peter Bowen-Simpkins, a fellow of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, said: "How could you get 12 babies into the womb at the same time?

"The womb just doesn't expand that much. She would have to be about seven feet tall."

The woman, an Arabic language teacher, said she had turned to IVF after suffering two miscarriages.

She was quoted as saying: "This is an absolute miracle and we all feel blessed after struggling so hard to have children."

Earlier this year Nadya Suleman, an American divorcee known as the "octomom", made hundreds of thousands of dollars from media deals after giving birth to octuplets.

The 33-year-old unemployed single mother has conceived a total of 14 children through IVF.

[gmyers]

I'm glad because I don't think the babies would have had an easy time of it with that many in there.