superfecundation

[soo-per-fee-kuhn-dey-shuhn, -fek-uhn-]

noun

1. the fertilization of two or more ova discharged at the same ovulation by successive acts of sexual intercourse.

superfecundation

/ ˌsuːpəˌfiːkənˈdeɪʃən /

noun

1. physiol the fertilization of two or more ova, produced during the same menstrual cycle, by sperm ejaculated during two or more acts of sexual intercourse

Word History and Origins

Origin of superfecundation¹

1850–55; super- + fecundation ( def. )

Example Sentences

So how does superfecundation with multiple fathers happen at all?

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The occurrence, known as heteropaternal superfecundation, is rare with only a few cases publicly known worldwide.

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That result is rare—so rare that the condition has the improbable name “superfecundation.”

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Jennifer Wu, an obstetrician-gynecologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan, called it a case of superfecundation, a rare phenomenon classically illustrated in medical textbooks with a black baby and a white baby who are twins.

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He explains that heteropaternal superfecundation occurs when a woman gives birth to twins with different biological fathers.

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