Meet Mariam Nabatanzi, she's a 39 year old Ugandan woman with 38 children. Married off at 13, Mariam only wanted 6 kids but a rare health condition hyper ovulation meant whenever she got pregnant, it was either twins, more twins or triplets or quadruplets!
Among her children are six sets of twins, four sets of triplets, three sets of quadruples and single births. Ten of these are girls and the rest are boys. The oldest is 23 years old while the youngest four months.
Hyper ovulation occurs when a woman's ovaries release more than one egg. This increases the change(s) of twins, triplets or more. Hyperovulation, on the other hand, has been linked to a number of factors. It is genetic, meaning that fraternal (not identical) twins may run in families.
Mariam Nabatanzi tried birth control but with disastrous results. The pill and injection never worked. She says, "I also tried the vaginal ring but my body reacted very negatively. I almost died. So I gave up."
All her children are born to the same man. He's an absent father. Mariam single handedly supports her family by doing odd jobs. Despite the daily challenge, she says her 38 children are "a blessing, not a burden".
Hyperovulation often occurs when the menstrual cycle is "gearing up" or "running down", which means that women close to menopause and women who are breastfeeding are more likely to conceive twins. Similarly, coming off birth control or using it erratically may trigger hyperovulation. Environmental causes, particularly related to hormones, have also been discovered. The highest birth rate of twins in the world occurs in the Yoruba tribe in West Africa, and has been attributed to a chemical in the tribe's staple food - yams.
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