Male twins have graced a family in the United Kingdom with their presence – only that they were born two years apart.
Conceived at the same time through in vitro fertilization (IVF) and from the same batch of embryos, two-year-old Oliver Best and his newborn brother, Isaac, are considered miracle twins. Little Isaac was born last March 17, five days ahead of Oliver’s second birthday and their mother’s due date.
Their parents, Rachael and Richard, had two embryos frozen after Oliver’s birth. Last year, both embryos were put back in, with one leading to Isaac’s birth. It took the couple four years of natural methods and six attempts at IVF to finally be blessed with a child.
“[After those four years] we went through a year of different tests and it came back as unexplained infertility which was devastating because we didn’t know what was wrong,” recalled the 35-year-old mother from Leicester.
She continued that they then opted for IVF, after six rounds of which came a turning point: either it worked, she had an early miscarriage, or the procedure failed.
The Bests’ last-ditch attempt led to the successful birth of Oliver, who weighed 7 pounds and 6 ounces. A further cycle resulted in the birth of Oliver’s twin almost two years afterwards, with a birth weight of 8 pounds and 9 ounces.
Sharing how the elder twin was “brilliant” in taking care of the younger one, Rachael admitted the twins’ situation was truly surreal. But she called it “quite amazing” to see their resemblance at Isaac’s current age.
In a Stanford University study back in February, findings showed that IVF success may climb by 50 percent if scientists are able to pick the squishiest embryo in the bunch. The key to survival and viability of embryos, according to them, is a texture that is neither too hard nor too soft.
On the other hand, a world-first surgery will attempt to implant a 23-year-old woman with her frozen ovary to help her become a mother.
Freezing lets specialists preserve the organ with the goal of helping hopeful mothers bear a child – a ray of hope for thousands unable to conceive due to reproductive damage from cancer or other disease treatments.
A massive 90 percent of young girls experiencing childhood cancer and undergoing chemotherapy might be unable to have their own kids.
Photo: Justin Wise | Flickr
